Posted April 10, 2019 (edited) CURRENT LEVEL: INTRO SCREEN The world of Astoria was long ago put into a deep slumber, its people performing rituals and sacrifices to appease it. During the age of this sleep, the people and the creatures thrived upon the land. They learned and they grew. Magic infused the lands and the seas. Gradually, the magic built up within the core of Astoria. The world began to awaken. Prophets foretold of a coming day when the waking world would give birth to phenomenal Gods and terrifying beasts. The Gods would select Champions to battle the beasts, Champions with blessed powers that could protect Astoria. And when the beasts are destroyed, Astoria will slumber again.... Loading... “Let’s play; I’m bored.” “Where’d you find this? It’s still covered in dust!” “Doesn’t matter. I’m already set-” “Tell me you didn’t.” “Didn’t.” “Liar!” “Oh, come on! It’ll be fun! Harmless, too.” “You said that last time...” “Hey, hey! This’ll be different! I promise!” “Sure, it will....” Loading... Two ‘Gods’ play a game. Someone gets sucked in. Loading... Basics: Information The Players Individuals stolen from another world, or three. They are the active protagonists in this game orchestrated by the Gods. Chosen for some attribute or another, they come from a variety of backgrounds. Note: This means they can be Original Characters, Fan-Made Characters, or Canon Characters from books, games, or shows. As they progress through the game, many Players may find themselves physically and mentally challenged, not just by the level's objective. Their own bodies and abilities may face changes as the game progresses, some more noticeable than others. Lost Souls Ethereal, humanoid beings. Classified as enemies though they are not primary targets. They will hinder players as attacking obstacles. Beasts Alongside the Lost Souls, beasts are a primary enemy. They come in many forms, with various abilities. Some can blend in better than most. Be cautious. The Levels Each level is different and there is a total of 23. Objectives differ based on the general traits or characteristics of the present level. This can be different settings, different creatures, even different laws of physics and what is “natural”. Some objectives might consist of finding specific items or opening specific doorways, others might be more dangerous and riskier to the players’ health points. The Gods No information learned yet. Game Menu: Controls A - I don't think this will have an OOC thread. So just post character sheets here. Please do not PM them to me. X - 'God' actions will be clearly distinguished in posts when they occur. Make sure you pay attention to those as any and all characters will need to react as applicable. Y - Characters will undergo some odd changes through certain levels of the game, including changes they are very unused to/unfamiliar with. Be prepared to adapt. B - I'll set a starting character limit at 2, max. This can be adjusted later in-game. If you want to switch characters, I'm fine with that but there won't be much room for PCs to become NPCs. SPACE - I may or may not bother with a Discord server. If I do, I won't post the link publicly; I'll just PM it to anyone who's interested. Message me or post here if that's something desired. LEFT BUMPER - Have fun, I suppose. This will start with everyone finding themselves in new territory. I'll post when the first level begins. RIGHT BUMPER - If you have ideas for individual levels, such as objectives and mechanics, feel more than welcome to share. I'm always interested in hearing other thoughts. Character Selection Please select the following.... Quote Controller: Name: Origins: OC | Canon Universe | Wiki Links Age: If not canonically known, can leave unknown or decide for yourself. Gender: Physical Appearance: Strengths: Abilities, talents, etc. Equipment: Other Information: Character Confirmation: Select ‘Start’ to Begin Controller: Valid Name: Charles Cornick Origins: Alpha & Omega - Spinoff series from the Mercy Thompson books Age: 200 years | Appears mid-20s to early 30s Gender: Male Physical Appearance: Charles stands over 6' tall (maybe 6'2"-6'4"), weighs about 250 pounds, and possesses broad shoulders with a sturdy build trained for fighting. His hands are calloused from years of labor. His waist-length hair is black and his eyes are near as dark. Combined with his dark skin, he looks far more like his Salish mother of the Flathead tribe than his Welsh father. If Charles can help it, no one except his wife has managed to see his hair completely free; he always has any number of braids woven through it. Commonly, he prefers to wear plain but brightly colored shirts and battered jeans with worn cowboy boots. Strengths: -> Werewolf: X He can change into a large wolf (about 300 pounds) with a cinnamon-red and cream pelt, bright amber eyes bordering on gold, and black legs and paws - like the coat of a red fox. Unlike... well, every other werewolf, Charles was born as one instead of Changed. He possesses superior strength, speed, reflex, hearing, night vision, and sense of smell. These traits are only further enhanced in his wolf skin. He can heal faster than any human and shifting to wolf increases that, under the best conditions. If the wound is caused by silver, then the rate of healing is slowed to that of a human's. -> Witchborn: His mother was the daughter of a medicine man/shaman and his father is the son of a witch; strange magic runs through his veins. However, it is subtle magic with which he never forces his will upon the world; he asks and something happens if the spirits will it. This magical ability means that he is sometimes part of the clean up crew for the Marrok's pack. His heritage allows him to largely be unaffected by minor or weak magic. He isn't immune, however. -> Spirit Seer: He can see the spirits of the world and interact with them, if he chooses to interact. Sometimes, they will guide him or tug at his senses, not always telling him what they want him to know and leaving him to discover it on his own. While he can also see and hear ghosts... those are a different (evil) matter entirely. -> Pack Magic: Being tied to a pack allows Charles to access an unique magic that isn't always controllable. Subtle, pack magic can conceal a wolf in a Look Away spell, a Silence spell, or disguise him as a big dog if that is what a human is expecting to see. Similarly, the pack ties and his rank allows him to pull strength and magic from other wolves to speed up healing and changing. -> Detector: Every emotion has a scent and, unless the individual is wearing strong perfume/cologne, Charles can detect most of them; the stronger, the easier. He can also smell a lie. Failing that, he can hear it in the heartbeat. Skill of covering lies comes with age and practice and the ability to skirt the truth. -> Martial Artist: He spent thirty years in training. -> Miscellaneous: Pilot, cook, musician, financial genius, computer and hacking wizard (ish), linguist. Equipment: -> None Other Information: -> Brother Wolf is the name of his wolf. While werewolves generally see their human half and wolf half as just two parts, one of emotion and one of instinct, Charles sees his wolf as practically an entirely different entity. As he describes it, it is "two spirits, one soul". He and Brother Wolf work in near perfect harmony, though they don't always agree with each other. And, while he does have immeasurable control at keeping his wolf in order, Brother Wolf can still manage a rare "override" if the situation is stressing enough. -> Almost no one (his wife, his father, and maybe his older brother being exceptions) can discern when it is Charles or Brother Wolf speaking. -> Charles has a much more severe reaction to silver poisoning than most other wolves. Silver leaves his wolf near uncontrollable and extremely dangerous. -> His unusual magic allows him to shift at a much faster rate than normal, and often return to human shape with clothes on. It does not, however, take away the pain and is only as good as his stamina. Each consecutive change, in either direction, in a short amount of time will take longer than the last. -> When his wolf is ascendant, his eyes lighten to an amber that can shine like gold. -> Werewolves have shoulders designed more like a bear's or tiger's than a simple wolf's, providing lateral motion. -> Bio Blurb: Much to his despair (though he understands it is necessary), nearly everyone fears him - even if he isn't purposely being intimidating. The number of those who don't, he can typically count on a single hand. Being as dominant as he is, second-in-command to his father's pack (a wolf who is the Alpha of all Alphas in the United States), Charles can magically compel obedience into pretty much anyone; human and wolf alike. Despite this, he does his best to avoid doing so unless absolutely necessary. Still, everyone less dominant has instincts that drive them to look away before accidentally holding eye-contact for too long to incite violence. Opposing that, his wife has explained to him that those who have suffered at the hands of monsters instinctively realize that he will protect them. Even if they are afraid, they find safety. His wolf drives him to protect those who are weaker than him, even if his job to uphold his father's laws contradict that instinct. Being an assassin for 150 years, Charles has had to separate himself from relationships, thus closing himself off from virtually everyone to better cope with the possibility of having to one day kill those he might have otherwise seen as friends. As such, he shows little to no expression and many have read his features to be angry, unamused, or just dangerous. His wife is generally the only one who can decipher his micro-expressions or read beneath his "default" appearance. He shuns all forms of touch, something every wolf craves, that doesn't come from his mate. -> Color: #330000 Controller: Valid Name: Cody Origins: OC Age: 22-ish years Gender: Male Physical Appearance: He has green, blue, and purple colored hair with a single lock of hair that is long enough to act as bangs while the rest of his hair is trimmed shorter and fashioned into a relax mow-hawk; no spikes to make a point, just loose locks positioned into place while the sides of his head are almost shaved away entirely to help accent the style. His skin is of a slightly tan or darker complexion but more due to blood than to being in sunlight (he isn't constantly locked away in his room, preferring more to be outdoors, but his skin simply doesn't tan as easily as the next person's). Beneath his dark eyebrows rest eyes with violet irises, made such by non-prescriptive contact lenses. Naturally, they are of a green-blue color while his hair is a lighter shade of brown. He favors wearing dark tank tops and jeans. A thin, metal, chain is always seen rested against the side of his left leg, the two ends attached to the belt loops on either side of his hip. His legs are long for his five feet and some odd inches height. Brown boots, or some cross between boots and sneakers, usually suffice for footwear. He also has a lip ring near the bottom right corner of his mouth. The piercing has existed for a handful of years now and this season's latest model is a simple silver ring with a streak of crimson down the center. Strengths: -> Kick-Boxing -> Arts and crafts stuff -> Proficiency with knives Equipment: -> None Other Information: -> Cody isn't a fan of loud, alarming sounds. -> Prone to migraines that can negatively impact his vision and sense of touch. May also cause extreme nausea. -> Color: #339999 Controller: Dusky Name: Hornet Origins: Azur Lane | Hornet's page: https://azurlane.koumakan.jp/Hornet Age: Unknown (ambiguous in canon) | Appears to be early-mid 20s Gender: Female (she/her) Physical Appearance: Have a link. She's about 5'6". Strengths: -Kansen: Hornet is a personified battleship. As such, she has rigging that she must summon to battle but may unsummon outside battle and the ability to walk on water, and some metal/mechanical-ness inside her body. In addition, she may dispel her rigging to summon her warship body, which she pilots without any crew. However, as long as the ship is active she may not use her rigging and any damage her ship body takes will hurt her as well. She must desummon the ship in order to use her rigging again. -Aircraft Carrier: Hornet is capable of summoning planes that function as drones, which are sized based on whether they're launched from her rigging or warship body. Her rigging includes a runway to launch planes from. She may summon one of three types: fighter, dive bomber, or torpedo bomber. She may have up to five total planes active at any one time. -Skill: Doolittle Raid: Hornet has a chance to occasionally launch an extra three dive bombers. These dive bombers are ephemeral constructs and cannot be stopped, and blink in and out of existence. They still deal damage, though. Equipment: -None yet Other Information: -Hornet is very direct with her feelings - she'll make it clear what she thinks. -She dislikes being called "Big Wasp Yo." -Her rigging includes her airstrip and the metallic bits on the outside of her body. Controller: Dusky Name: Enterprise Origins: Azur Lane | Enterprise’s page, note it lacks her EN lines: https://azurlane.koumakan.jp/Enterprise Age: Unknown (ambiguous in canon) | Appears to be mid 20s Gender: Female (she/her) Physical Appearance: Here's a link. She's about 6'0". Strengths: -Kansen: Enterprise is a personified battleship. As such, she has rigging that she must summon to battle but may unsummon outside battle and the ability to walk on water, and some metal/mechanical-ness inside her body. In addition, she may dispel her rigging to summon her warship body, which she pilots without any crew. However, as long as the ship is active she may not use her rigging and any damage her ship body takes will hurt her as well. She must desummon the ship in order to use her rigging again. -Aircraft Carrier: Enterprise is capable of summoning planes that function as drones, which are sized based on whether they're launched from her rigging or warship body. Her rigging includes a runway to launch planes from. She may summon one of three types: fighter, dive bomber, or torpedo bomber. She may have up to five total planes active at any one time. -Skill: Lucky E: When Enterprise launches her planes, she has a high chance to increase her luck and evasion for several seconds. This chance may also include her planes dealing extra damage for several seconds. -Grey Ghost: Enterprise has high luck. She is incapable of bestowing this upon others, though.... Equipment: -Eagle Companion: Enterprise owns a bald eagle named Grim Reaper. She was given to Enterprise by Yorktown as the latter was dying, before Enterprise was made to leave. Grim will tolerate being touched by others of Enterprise's family, but may or may not tolerate others depending on how they treat her. Other Information: -As a soldier in a war, Enterprise has been traumatised by her experiences and losing her family. -Her rigging includes her airstrip, her bow, and the metallic bits on the outside of her body. Controller: Tiger Name: Norra Ember Origins: OC Age: 16 Gender: Female Physical Appearance: Tan skin with bright green eyes and brown hair Strengths: Good with knives Extremely good thief Has powerful nature magic, which she inherited from her mother Can shapeshift into a dragon using her necklace, however she can only use it once a week or else she will become incredibly sick. After use, all her energy is drained away and she can't use her magic for a while. Equipment: Necklace Silverblade (her sword) Knives Bow and arrows Her pet fox, Amber Other Information: She grew up on the streets after her mother abandoned her (or so she thinks.) Doesn't have many friends, but has a lot of enemies. Character Vault: Unlockables Spoiler Controller: Marcus Pheonix Name: Anne D. Pyrite Origins: One Piece OC https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/One_Piece_Wiki Age: 21 Gender: Female Physical Appearance: Hide contents She’s 177cm with 3m long hair (tied up and back a lot to reach her waist) an orange cowboy hat (instead of the one she’s got) a blue buttoned up, sleeveless shirt, yellow cummerbund (that hangs like a scarf), ankle length white jeans capped with brown boots. Strengths: -She ate the wet-wet fruit, allowing her to turn herself into water, primarily her deliberately long hair, and manipulate it physically and chemically. She can control external sources of water if she spends time to convert it to her own water. Ironically, eating the fruit causes her to lose strength and sink when submerged in water. -She is proficient in using twin batons to fight and projecting her water onto them to lengthen them and potentially turn them into swords. -She can use the three colours of haki: Observation allows her to predict incoming attacks and see the un-seeable. Armament acts like invisible armour and she primarily uses it to harden the water she projects on her batons so that it acts as an actual, physical weapon. Her colour of the conqueror allows her to incapacitate the weak willed in an area around her, and to pacify aggressive animals. -She has two techniques to increase her combat prowess; gears two and three. Gear two involves her rapidly increasing her blood flow, allowing her to move faster and hit harder, in this state her skin looks shiny and sunburnt, it causes considerable fatigue when overused. Gear three involves shedding any excess water in her body further increasing her speed when used with Gear two but also providing her six, foot long “spears” of water to control outside of her usual water manipulation, prolonged use can cause severe strain and electrolyte imbalance, resulting in feinting. Equipment: Her twin Adam wood batons are light weight but made of the most durable wood in her world, she often coats them in armament haki for added strength. Other Information: -At this point in time she has only recently set out on her journey after learning the basics of haki. She is most proficient in conquerors. -She is the twin sister of the late pirate Portags D. Ace and adoptive sister of Monkey D. Luffy (who inspired her to use gears for combat) and Sabo. -She is friendly and polite and doesn’t want to involve herself with either the marines or pirates. -She has always traveled with her lifelong companion Nomu and is feeling a little upset not having her with her. Controller: EpickFaylia/Jace Name: Paris Lovell Zarek. Goes by “Lucky”. Origins: OC [MtG/FE/JJBA] Age: 23 Gender: Biologically Female, Male Presenting/Passing Physical Appearance: Standing upright, Lucky is approximately 6’2. He has lightly tanned caucasian skin and dark blue hair with white streaks running through it, though it isn’t from age, its from exposure to a hair whitening metal used by the mages in the Izzet League, a guild from his home plane of Ravnica. He has light blue eyes and a constant charismatic smirk, however you wouldn’t see his eyes under most circumstances, he usually wears brass goggles over them. His outfit consists of the typical fare of a proud Izzet League member; black heavy, long sleeved undershirt (usually pushed up to the elbows), black pants with blue and gold stripes down the sides and knee high boots. Over top of this is a decorative blue tunic and a gold cape. Strengths: Magnesis Like his father before him, Lucky excels in electrical powered magic, however, unlike Ral who was proficient in lightning and thunder magic, Lucky’s magic manifests in waves of magnetism. He can use this to pull/push large/heavy objects, add a deadly spin onto his axe, Hector, or even simply use it as a means of moving about when his lightning greaves fail him. Izzet Ingenuity The Izzet League is a guild of eccentric civil engineering mages who are known to be creative, spontaneous, and intelligent--but don’t let that fool you, they’re all these things with wild, reckless abandon, and are known to experiment to their hearts’ content, much to the dismay (or enthrallment?) of the people around them. Things may explode; and things may get a little weird. Like the guild he came from, Lucky also has an insatiable thirst for knowledge and pursues this almost dangerously; however, when it comes to the endangerment or well-being of the people around him, he tends to put this desire second. Weird Engineering An important skill that most, if not all, Izzet mages know is the ability to create synthetic elementals known as weirds. A notable weird in Ravnican history is Melek, Izzet Paragon, however most weirds aren’t usually named, and only used as tools to help further research magic. It’s widely unknown what weirds are made of… some like Melek or the less notable Frostburn weird seem to be made of ice, whereas other weirds such as the Blistercoil weird seem to be made from molten metal. It’s rumored that not even the Izzet themselves know how it’s done, and that weirds only hold themselves together by sheer force of contradiction. With enough parts and resources, Lucky can make his own weirds using the magnetic energy he’s adept at and uses this to help his companion, the Nivix Drobot. Equipment: Lightning Greaves/Lightning Gauntlets Due to Lucky’s natural inability to walk, his legs are protected by gold plated greaves with blue pulsating mana surging through that cover the boots his legs are in. They’re connected to a large gaudy generator he wears on his back like a backpack that siphons red/blue aligned mana from the land around him and into his body. The electricity generated allows him to cycle the mana through his body in such cohesion that he’s able to walk--however, in planes where he cannot siphon mana, or is unfamiliar with the density of mana, he loses this ability. For an added bonus, he also wears matching gauntlets on his arms which channel magnetic energy. Nivix Drobot: A gift of sorts from Elzaphan, though not one offered without mutual agreement between gift and giftee. Drobot is a small terrestrial drake housed in secret in the Nivix guildhall by Elzaphan after finding him weak and on the brink of death wandering the shadows of Ravnica’s undercity. Seeing as he is a dragon, by all technicalities, it was of the utmost importance that he use what influence he had through the guild’s highest ranking mage, Guildmage Ral Zarek, to conceal his existence lest their unruly parun Niv-Mizzet root him out and dispose of him as he did the rest of Ravnica’s dragon population. After devising a means of communication between the two using a voice modulator that provided the drake speech, Elzaphan soon formed a strong bond of fondness with the drake, and for saving his life, the drake lent himself to El’s experimentation with metallurgy. And while Elzaphan could have been cruel, as such reckless disregard is part and parcel amongst the Izzets, this instead led to the crafting of a mechanical flight suit that enabled flight via wings and boosters, bracers that strengthened and fortified his body, and a mana-powered headset that allowed for focused laser blasts. The drake then took on the imaginative name Drobot from Elzaphan, considering it a great honor to be named by “a fellow dragon”, and agreed to become an assistant to his dear companion Lucky Zarek. Due to his biomechanical nature, he is compatible with and compliant with further upgrades, making him a boon to any aspiring Izzet looking to hone their craft. Lucky augmented Drobot with weird technology in an instance that Lucky is unable to use his magnesis to move if his greaves are rendered useless. Hector, Blade of the Radiant A large axe that Lucky found in the wreckage of the Nivix building in Ravnica’s dystopian future from which he hails. It was rumored to have come from Lucky’s other parent that he lost some time before he was born, and takes care of it knowing it was from the father he didn’t know. He lovingly named it Hector and refers to it as if it’s another human being entirely maybe as a means of feeling close to the fabled Radiant Hero that his lost parent was rumored to be. Shortly after Lucky’s planeswalker spark ignited, he became aware of a spiritual ego that resided within the axe that gave it it’s thunder aligned capabilities. He’s still very unfamiliar with the spirit. Other Information: Spells: -> Downsize Multiverse ID: 265374 Shrinks target incrementally until their size is ¼ of the size it was previously. Overload: If Lucky channels an extremely large amount of mana, it affects all targets of the same type in the area. -> Weapon Surge Multiverse ID: 369004 Target ally or weapon gains an electric charge Overload: If Lucky channels an extremely large amount of mana, it affects all allies or all weapons in the area. -> Lightning Bolt Multiverse ID: 442130 Does a small amount of damage to target opponent. -> Counterflux Multiverse ID: 405183 Dispels a spell or ability that targets Lucky -> Possibility Storm Multiverse ID: 369013 Summons a large electrical storm that warps and changes all other casted spells into something possibly better? Possibly worse? -> Epic Experiment Multiverse ID: 405215 Expands a large field of magnesis around Lucky, the more mana spent on this, the larger the area. For a small amount of time, other mages in the area can use the energy generated by the magnesis as mana for their spells; but they need to be quick. It doesn’t last forever. -> Cyclonic Rift Multiverse ID: 425860 A small controlled tornado is summoned and sends the target to gods-know-where. Overload: If Lucky channels an extremely large amount of mana, it becomes a large uncontrollable cyclone that ravages the area. Controller: Sugar-Free Name: Ugin Elzaphan Beleren Origins: OC [MtG/FE/Bloodborne] Age: 19, but looks a bit younger than his bodily age. Gender: Male Physical Appearance: [link] Elzaphan isn’t a tall young man, standing at a relatively meager 5’6” and is unreasonably pale-skinned. Though his short hair is a relatively typical shade of dark brown (albeit with a greenish, copper-tarnished cast to it), his red eyes stand in contrast to the rest of him. On his forehead, an odd shape in the same color can be found: a Brand of some sort. His outfit consists of a collared black sleeveless shirt over which a hooded vest belted under the hood’s fold is layered. His wrists are ringed with tight gold bands, and his legs are dressed in electric-blue pants that are run with yellow stripes down the sides. These tuck into ankle-high black boots adorned with similar stripes, and they bag noticeably around where the tuck begins. Strengths: Mana +Mind Mage: Being of blue mage descent, Elzaphan retains the ability to rearrange and snip memories from his victims, and this extends so far as to crush the very nest of a person's personality and history with a passing impulse. However, this process is not only taxing to him (to the point of inducing vomiting and rendering him unconscious, in worst cases), but morally repugnant, and he would only ever utilize this method in the most extreme of circumstances. +Telepath Unwound: As it would be expected, El is an accomplished telepath. While he may not enjoy the prospect of destroying a person or being from the inside out, he doesn’t have many qualms about taking the occasional curious peek. This allows him to imprint his voice into the minds of others, as well as link his mind to a group as to facilitate telepathic speech between those included. This can be especially helpful whenever certain people wish to share information, but only to a select few. It is also particularly useful whenever speaking out loud is not possible or is ineffective. After all, the only thing that can mute his telepathy is an especially gifted enemy mind mage, as otherwise, one would seldom notice his intrusion unless he made it known. +Illusionist: His illusion proficiency measures scores above his mind manipulation skills. Finding the tendency of his forebearer to sling out lazy copies of himself a waste of potential, Elzaphan has spent countless hours into days refining his talent for recreation of forms for the purpose of utility. He has mastered his replications down to the threads in an illusion's outfit, the crevices and folds of unique skin structures, and with a little help from his mind magic, he can even recreate scents and some basic memories of whomever (or whatever) he is impersonating for deeper deception. Though his power may come off as intimidating, more often than not, he uses his illusions as...practice. Be that with social skills, personal skills, or less reputable things a boy of his age might indulge in. The downside is that with his unrefined mind magic in tandem, he often projects the more...sensitive subjects of his mind's inner workings whilst dreaming. This can lead to extremely awkward occurrences with unfortunate passerbys. Note: The above examples fall under the mana-based classification of magic. This means natural sources from which a contained source of mana ebb (water-blue mana, fire-red mana, etc.) must be present for them to work. The amount of mana that can be extruded from said sources is directly linked to the potency of said powers. However, spirit stones can be converted to make up for a natural source if need be. Anima +Thunder Anima Proficiency: Being descended from a prodigious archsage has lent a great deal of inborn talent in the Thunder classification of anima magic. This division of magic relies on the coercion of and communication with insubstantial elemental spirits to call forth similarly-aligned manifestations. Passive Effects +Eldritch Ancestry: Being not entirely human has its perks...and its downsides. Uncanny Insight: As the blood of a transdimensional entity courses through his veins, Elzaphan finds himself drawn to and equally invested in all things metaphysical and incomprehensible. Objects that might corrupt or otherwise disturb the mind are no issue to Elzaphan’s impenetrable defenses. He is especially adept at handling and finding objects that twist the very nature of reality, and enjoys tinkering with them, even if he may suffer a little ego death from offering himself too much to uncovering their secrets. As well, he may look upon even the most mind-melting of scenes or creatures without losing sight of what is real. Ribbonflesh: The presence of Water spirits reside in El’s tissues. While he does not omnipotent control or access to then via cast magic, they do imbue the flesh with an inordinate amount of flexibility that he has some control over. However, as he is not consciously aware of that, the most effective--and most frightening--means of accessing this trait is anxiety. If put under too much undue pressure, or if he is embarrassed, El’s body has a chance of sloughing off its skin down to the nerve layer in progressing ribbons, starting most often at the fingertips.This process is excruciatingly painful, and leaves him at risk for bleeding out or infection. It is pertinent that he be calmed down before his entire body is torn to pieces by itself, leaving him a quivering mass of sensitive, bleeding, spongy pink skin. As he learns to control his anxiety and care for his needs, he may one day be more capable of controlling this power for some good (and his health.) Ribbongraft: Another strange trait of his skin is the ability for the sloughed ribbons to be used for grafts. As they contain all the components needed for a graft to be successful, and they are fully capable of assimilating with seemingly all skin types, no surgical assistant need be administered, should El use them to treat wounds. But just like his anxious spells, the process of generating ribbons is tremendously painful for him, as he must cut into his own skin to start the process, and said process brings several risks to his health. It must be used under close observation and only when needed. Bottomless Stomach: The unique nature of El’s body makes him function differently than normal. All food processed goes directly to the Water spirits that imbue his tissues. This also lends his stomach to being nigh-bottomless, and capable of being controlled as to what is digested and what is kept from such, making him a walking, talking Bag of Holding...within reason. Especially abrasive, large, sharp, or filling objects are a no-go. Equipment: +Elluck: A self-composed tome from which El cants to summon powerful Thunder spirits. It is a preferential weapon (meaning it will not deplete in uses and can't be wielded by others), and has the unique capability of evolving as it is used and edited. Elzaphan has imbued the tome with red and blue mana via processed spirit stones into ink to facilitate and strengthen his mana-based powers when land sources are not available. This unique tome is wrought with a very special person referred through its pages, and like its namesake, it is empowered with increased chance to strike critical hits and draws the user to hidden treasures, be they tucked away in sandy dunes or verdant plains. +Hedron: [link] A small, hand-crafted approximation of the hedrons found on the plane of Zendikar. Instead of being forged from the same material, this 7” replicant is instead carved from a spirit stone, the condensed and corporealized remains of an elemental spirit. This implement floats seemingly of its own accord, and it can be used to channel anima or mana as well as function as a small, pocket-dimensional holding space (mostly for snacks.) +Septipedal Equuhedron: [link] [hastily scrawled interpretation] A “weirded” conglomeration of horses found wandering the razed expanses of Zendikar where the extraplanar Eldrazi touched. The once-shattered mind of this herd of horses was made whole by Elzaphan’s uncorrupting touch, and the fearful, scattered consciousnesses have been soothed into one cohesive existence, simultaneously able to feel individual pleasures but reflecting back onto itself as a single decision-maker. It now serves Elzaphan and his friends as a loving, peaceful mount. He has bestowed upon it the especially creative name “Leg Horse”. Other Information: =There are two instincts driving Elzaphan: consume, and create. If these needs are not met, they put both his health and his attention span at terrible risk. If they’re not kept up with, he may stop dead in the middle of dangerous situations to do either, be that suddenly coming up with efficiency plans for a project or eating whatever is near him for sustenance. If his cycle of input and output is disturbed, it will affect the consistency of his body as well. This is unavoidable, unfortunately, as his birthright brings with it not just prodigious skill, but consuming impulse. = El is immune to many human instincts. He lacks a sense of danger and intimidation in the face of those who are stronger or larger than he, and it tends to get him into more trouble than it does him any favors. As well, his curiosity overrides his sense of well-being, and his literalist means of processing the world make him highly susceptible to manipulation and deception. This is not to say El is fearless, though. He expresses a great deal of concern for his loved ones, including Leg Horse and Drobot, and he is plagued by the mysteries his own body provides to him. He can be easily embarrassed for his shortcomings, too, and while his skin has thickened around the Izzets, he still gets emotional. Situations where he cannot control some of the outcome are especially bad for triggering this, leading to bouts of anger and frustration that eventually decay into tears. Overall, though, he is a kind and softhearted boy, but it takes some time for him to acclimate to expectations that occur naturally to those of natural human birth. = His absolute favorite thing is chocolate. Especially citruses covered in it. Edited August 26, 2020 by ValidEmotions Share this post Link to post
Posted April 10, 2019 (edited) Oh boy, I'm going to have to go write some character sheets. Looks fun and I'm definitely up for this! Edit: going to just drop in Hornet for now. Controller: Dusky Name: Hornet Origins: Azur Lane | Hornet's page: https://azurlane.koumakan.jp/Hornet Age: Unknown (ambiguous in canon) | Appears to be early-mid 20s Gender: Female (she/her) Physical Appearance: Have a link. She's about 5'6". Strengths: -Kansen: Hornet is a personified battleship. As such, she has rigging that she must summon to battle but may unsummon outside battle and the ability to walk on water, and some metal/mechanical-ness inside her body. In addition, she may dispel her rigging to summon her warship body, which she pilots without any crew. However, as long as the ship is active she may not use her rigging and any damage her ship body takes will hurt her as well. She must desummon the ship in order to use her rigging again. -Aircraft Carrier: Hornet is capable of summoning planes that function as drones, which are sized based on whether they're launched from her rigging or warship body. Her rigging includes a runway to launch planes from. She may summon one of three types: fighter, dive bomber, or torpedo bomber. She may have up to five total planes active at any one time. -Skill: Doolittle Raid: Hornet has a chance to occasionally launch an extra three dive bombers. These dive bombers are ephemeral constructs and cannot be stopped, and blink in and out of existence. They still deal damage, though. Equipment: -None yet Other Information: -Hornet is very direct with her feelings - she'll make it clear what she thinks. -She dislikes being called "Big Wasp Yo." -Her rigging includes her airstrip and the metallic bits on the outside of her body. Edited April 17, 2020 by DuskOfTheStars Share this post Link to post
Posted April 14, 2019 (edited) Id like to try join. Controller: Marcus Pheonix Name: Anne D. Pyrite Origins: One Piece OC https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/One_Piece_Wiki Age: 21 Gender: Female Physical Appearance: Spoiler She’s 177cm with 3m long hair (tied up and back a lot to reach her waist) an orange cowboy hat (instead of the one she’s got) a blue buttoned up, sleeveless shirt, yellow cummerbund (that hangs like a scarf), ankle length white jeans capped with brown boots. Strengths: -She ate the wet-wet fruit, allowing her to turn herself into water, primarily her deliberately long hair, and manipulate it physically and chemically. She can control external sources of water if she spends time to convert it to her own water. Ironically, eating the fruit causes her to lose strength and sink when submerged in water. -She is proficient in using twin batons to fight and projecting her water onto them to lengthen them and potentially turn them into swords. -She can use the three colours of haki: Observation allows her to predict incoming attacks and see the un-seeable. Armament acts like invisible armour and she primarily uses it to harden the water she projects on her batons so that it acts as an actual, physical weapon. Her colour of the conqueror allows her to incapacitate the weak willed in an area around her, and to pacify aggressive animals. -She has two techniques to increase her combat prowess; gears two and three. Gear two involves her rapidly increasing her blood flow, allowing her to move faster and hit harder, in this state her skin looks shiny and sunburnt, it causes considerable fatigue when overused. Gear three involves shedding any excess water in her body further increasing her speed when used with Gear two but also providing her six, foot long “spears” of water to control outside of her usual water manipulation, prolonged use can cause severe strain and electrolyte imbalance, resulting in feinting. Equipment: Her twin Adam wood batons are light weight but made of the most durable wood in her world, she often coats them in armament haki for added strength. Other Information: -At this point in time she has only recently set out on her journey after learning the basics of haki. She is most proficient in conquerors. -She is the twin sister of the late pirate Portags D. Ace and adoptive sister of Monkey D. Luffy (who inspired her to use gears for combat) and Sabo. -She is friendly and polite and doesn’t want to involve herself with either the marines or pirates. -She has always traveled with her lifelong companion Nomu and is feeling a little upset not having her with her. Edited April 20, 2019 by Marcus Pheonix Share this post Link to post
Posted April 15, 2019 [ Ready Player -- Charles Cornick ] { Support -- Entry Voided ; Status ; Health -- 100% ; Brother Wolf ; Alert ; Shape ; Human } Howl ; Born Moon Called The beads clicked softly in his braided hair as he tilted his head. Some black strands had come free despite the hair ties and the worn bands of leather that kept it all together. He was watching Anna as she cooked from his seat at the counter, her red-brown curls draping down her shoulders. The aroma filled the house with warmth and savory herbs. His wife had insisted on making dinner tonight, though he hadn't exactly known why. As far as he could figure, there were no special occasions to celebrate. Maybe she just wanted to try a new recipe that she found somewhere in a cookbook or on the computer. He didn't know. Charles smiled, the expression softening the edges of his eyes and nothing more. "What's got you so amused?" she asked him, hardly bothering to turn around. I can feel it. Unless he wanted to shut her out, their mate bond almost always betrayed him; and he swore he would never shut it again after doing so once nearly got her killed. For the most part, only emotions and the knowledge of where each other were filtered through. Occasionally, so did thoughts and direct words. Brother Wolf could speak to Anna better than Charles could through their bond. "I’m still puzzling over why you wanted to cook," he answered truthfully. Even if werewolves couldn't smell a lie, he wouldn't lie to her anyway. Neither would he skirt around the truth unless he felt she would be better for it, if she would be safe. Anna turned now, catching him with her brown eyes. Her complexion was pale, as if she might possess an Irish heritage, and freckles danced across her face. "You cook all the time. It’s my turn to have a go." That meant she definitely found a new recipe to try out. His smile widened into a grin as she turned back to the stove. His cell rang before he could respond, eliciting a low grumble from his chest as he pulled it free of his pocket. Bran, the Marrok and ruler of all the wolves in the United States, began speaking as soon as the phone was to his ear. He and his Da had long ago dispensed with pleasantries. Conversations went faster that way. Like him, Anna was a werewolf with sharp hearing. Every phone call was like a conference call when surrounded by wolves. She would hear the particulars that his Da saw fit to share. Closing the phone with a light snap, he heaved a sigh and looked over towards his wife. "I'll save some in the fridge for you," she stated, responding to his expression and unspoken words. When his Da called with a task for him, there was little space to say 'no'. Rising to his feet, he strode towards Anna in the kitchen and pulled her against him, placing his chin atop her head. She was, as she preferred to describe herself, average in appearance; it placed her maybe a little over half a foot shorter than him. Regardless of what she thought herself, she was beautiful and remarkable and his mate. He loved the feel of her. "I won't be gone long. Should only be a few hours." She twisted in his hold, rising on her toes to kiss his cheek. Her initiative pleased both Charles and Brother Wolf, a small sign of the triumphant courage she had fought for. Releasing her, he strode towards the front door where his boots were and slipped them on. Brother Wolf noticed first, surging to the forefront of his mind, a flash of golden amber lacing through his near-black eyes. The scenery had abruptly changed and all Charles had done was blink. His ranch-style home was replaced by a stretch of grassland. It raced away from him into the horizon, no matter which direction he turned. There were no flowers, no trees, to breakup the green field. Barely any breeze passed over the land, carrying no scent to his nose. Abruptly, the silence and blandness of the air were disturbed. A soft swear hit Charles's ears. Turning his head, he glanced over his shoulder to see the human male who had appeared out of nowhere. That was a mistake. The man's oddly colored eyes met his. For a few quick heartbeats, the human maintained his stare before instinct kicked in, telling his hindbrain that what faced him was dangerous. With a jerk of his head, the man lowered his gaze and visibly swallowed. Charles turned to face the man fully, arms folding over his broad chest. "So, uh..." The man stopped talking, looking about him and running both hands through his strangely-styled hair. "Am I dead? Where am I?" That is a good question, Brother Wolf growled. We must find answers. Charles inhaled deeply, reaching outward with his senses, searching with his mother's gift. His magic touched nothing. There was nothing, not even spirits, here in this... world. Exhaling, he closed his senses to the world and reoriented his attention on the human. The man was watching him, eyes roaming while avoiding Charles's gaze. "Hey, I'm Cody. What's your name? I take it you don't belong here either. Right?" He could smell the man's fear and it stirred Brother Wolf. Something like panic flickered through Charles's chest. Where are they? Frantically, as realization struck him from behind, Charles searched for his pack bonds. He couldn't find them, couldn't feel any of the wolves that made up his Da's pack. He couldn't find his mate bond to Anna. It was silent in his head, almost isolating. No. She's here. Our mate is still here, and so is our pack. The bonds were stretched so thin, he worried if they might break from the immeasurable distance. He'd never heard of such an instance; severing pack bonds required want and will to do so. But then, he'd never heard of a wolf being so far removed from his pack. Mercy was, of course, an exception, his coyote sister being recently kidnapped and recovered from Italy. Charles realized the human was still waiting for a response. Only then did he also realize that the man's fear had intensified. Charles's fault. Relaxing the tension in his features, the muted growl that floated from his lips died away and his face lost the touch of aggression. Anna called his neutral expression his 'public face.' He used it because it kept potential enemies from gauging and anticipating his next move. "Charles." The man hadn't seen fit to provide a last name so Charles opted to do the same. At least he didn't have to use Smith this time. "Um, okay... Charles? D-Do you think we're the only ones here?" Share this post Link to post
Posted April 15, 2019 (edited) [Ready Player: [USS CV-8] Hornet] [HP: 100% | Status: OK | Rigging: Active/0 planes] [A World Beyond the Mirror Seas?] "Hornet! There's a commission for you!" The blonde shipgirl turned, and spotted a white-haired girl dashing towards her. Violet eyes, a cap, and the ever-present eagle her sister called "Grim Reaper." Her sister was Enterprise, who was currently the secretary ship of the naval base. That included delivering orders sometimes. Like today. "Yo, sis, what 'cha got for me?" Hornet asked. Enterprise stopped short, before replying. "The Commander wants you to go meet up with Repulse, Cassin, Downes, Cleveland, and Langley. Large-scale oil extraction.' "Oh boy. Another one." Hornet silently wondered what it was with the Commander and sending her on oil extractions. Would be nice to at least mix it up some when it came to commissions. ...though, again, last time some Sirens had appeared. They'd been chased off quickly with her and Langley's planes and the others' gunfire, but it was a little odd. "On my way." Hornet headed for the docks. Once there, she called her rigging and stepped off the docks. "Heh... feels like the seabreeze is starting again." The shipgirl looked around. There was always some activity, but it looked as though the others had left. She was going to have to catch up. Easy. She began to run across the water. A grin spread across her face. Really, with what she was, it was no surprise she felt most alive and at home on the seas. The water was what she'd been made for, and it was her home more than dry land ever was. A shipgirl was a ship at the core, made for the waves, made to ride the water. So it was that she simply wasn't expecting the sudden change in surroundings. "Wha-- Aah!" Her foot caught on - ground? She stumbled, flailing a bit, and tasted dirt. "Ow!" She'd hit her lip on her teeth. And the impact of her body into the ground had left grass on her clothes and slight scuffs on her skin. "Ugh...." She picked herself back up, rising to her feet a bit slowly. Her airstrip was next to her - she'd dropped it in the fall. Her hat had had tumbled off and lay nearby. Hornet leaned down to pick it up before looking around. A few paces in front of her were two men. One had brightly coloured hair and eyes, almost like some shipgirls she'd seen. The other was more muscular and had a sort of power about him, almost like some of the more battle-hardened ships she'd met. His features reminded her somewhat of South Dakota and Massachusetts. They were the only signs of life present, though - the grassy field stretched on unbroken by anything else or any change in the surroundings. She put her hat back on, and picked up her airstrip before stepping forward. So... what even is this place? No one to ask but the two men. Well. Nothing to do but try. "Eh... So do you know where - and what - this place is? ...and is there anyone else here? 'Cause it doesn't look like it." Edited April 17, 2020 by DuskOfTheStars Share this post Link to post
Posted April 15, 2019 (edited) Anne - HP: 100 It wasn’t hard to fall asleep on the open ocean at night. The gentle rocking of the waves, the breeze through the furled-up sail and the gentle creak of the hull. No, on most days Anne would lay her head on her pillow and fall straight into dreamland, bathed in the pleasant light of a star filled sky and glowing moon. It was why she was so annoyed at the sudden shake of her vessel and the ensuing crash of waves that woke her from her peaceful slumber. Anne groaned and sat up, glancing idly at the small porthole window beside her bed. The sky outside was dark, only broken by the intermittent splattering of stars. The boat shook once more, and Anne braced herself against the wall as her bunk shook. Anne sighed and narrowed her eyes, the dim interior of her room fading into an eerie blackness as too glowing auras became visible to her beneath her boat, one of the auras growing smaller with each shake. Anne tossed her blanket aside and tossed her legs over the side of her bunk, her toes lightly tracking across the floor until they found her boots lazily kicked off the night before. Pulling them on she trudged to the door and stepped out onto the deck of her small two-man ship. She was greeted with a rush of pleasant ocean breeze and a splatter of salt water as her boat rocker more, the wind carrying the spray. Anne lightly flicked the ever-present hat she wore off her head and looked up at the sky where the moon no longer hung, indicating early morning. “Ehhh Nomu!” She exclaimed, striding over to the side of the boat and looking down in the water, her hand resting on her batons that hung at her belt. “It’s the middle of the night Nomu couldn’t you have waited till sun up before going out to hunt?” Anne called into the rolling water. She watched as the glowing aura covered more and more of her field of vision, as the being it belonged to rose to the surface. The aura then began to rapidly shrink before a human head broke the surface of the water, a head of deep turquoise hair, barely visible by the starlight. Nomu waded towards the boat and pulled herself up revealing a matching blue dress that hung to her ankles. Anne stepped back as Nomu came aboard, considerably smaller than she had been below the surface but Anne still required Nomu to squat low so they could see eye to eye. “I’m sorry little one, but you know how I get when I’m hungry,” she said in an apologetic yet somewhat mocking tone. Anne raised her hand and a burst of water splashed over the crouching woman leaving her completely dry. “You transformed back, what haven’t started eating yet?” Anne asked snidely, glancing behind her companion into the depths. “No”, Nomu responded, “I was about to dig in when I heard my little one’s cry”. Anne crossed her arms and leaned against the mast as Nomu stood back up. “Well seeing as you’ve woken me in the middle of my sleep, you can get the ship moving when the sun rises, wake me at noon!” Anne declared. Nomu’s only response was a deep chuckle and a nod before turning and sliding smoothly back into the water. Anne relaxed her stance and scratched her stomach, sometimes she could be real bothered by her companions near permeant condescension. It was justified of course, Anne doubted there were many, even among the fleets of the Pirate Emperors or upper marine ranks that could so much as injure Nomu let alone command her. Anne yawned loudly; she’d ponder the strength of her friend later. She trod back across the deck to her room and, not even bothering to remove her boots, collapsed onto her bed. Where her face collided with a hard surface that most definitely wasn’t her plush mattress. “Ow!” Anne exclaimed. She opened her eyes and was met with blinding light. Squinting in discomfort her body rapidly morphed into a puddle before the water rose up and reformed into her, now standing. “Where the hell…” Anne trailed off, she was no longer on a 2-man boat in the middle of the ocean, instead standing in a grass plain that seemed to stretch on towards the horizon, Anne didn’t think she’d ever even seen so much land in her life. She felt a flare in her colour of observation and turned, seeing three others standing in the plain, a short blu-ish haired man, a broad dark-haired man and a girl in very revealing clothing carrying some strange board. The site of the girl made Anne glance down, she had slept with her shirt unbuttoned, in the presence of two men she casually buttoned up the top half of her shirt, leaving her waist still exposed. She propped her hat onto her head and her right hand lowered once again to her batons at her waist. “Wow, would you look at all the grass, it’s like a sea of… green. Weird” Anne exclaimed, casting her haki forward with the intent of seeing an end to the vast plain. As her attempt failed, she turned back to the three others, “So who are you?” She asked. Edited April 15, 2019 by Marcus Pheonix Share this post Link to post
Posted April 18, 2019 [ Ready Player -- Cody "CD" Davis ] { Support -- Charles ; Hornet ; Anne ; Status ; Health -- 100% ; Migraine Risk ; Low ; Stress ; 68% } Adapt ; Human Versatility The man was growling, so low that Cody didn't realize it at first. When he did, his mouth began to grow dry and his body tensed to start running. He avoided looking at his eyes. Abruptly, growl ceased and the guy's face lost the murderous edge. Cody swallowed. The stranger still looked dangerous as hell but he greatly preferred the rather neutral expression over anything else. Damn, he's tall.... A lot of people tended to be taller than Cody since he was hardly five and a half feet. "--only ones here?" It was as if, in immediate answer, the foreign place had been waiting for him to ask. As soon as his lips had shut, something hit the ground nearby and Cody started. Twisting, he (and Charles, as Cody noted) found the young woman picking herself up. He watched her as she gathered a hat and some sort of... metal board, off the ground. When she, in turn, took notice of him and Charles, Cody gave a slight - and stunned - wave with his hand. "Hi?" The blonde-haired woman asked pretty much the same question Cody had of Charles. He opened his mouth, lifting a finger as if he might be pointing out or refuting something. He didn't get to respond just yet. Someone else suddenly popped in and crashed to the ground. It was definitely was a 'pop'. There was no sound but, as sure as if Cody had blinked, another woman was where she hadn't been a heartbeat before. And then she wasn't a woman at all. Cody's mouth dropped open, eyes widening. The second woman was speaking but he failed to track most of the words. Cody's legs gave out beneath him, gravity driving him to the ground and on his ass. She's not human. She is definitely not human! He was dreaming, surely? That, or dead and in some strange rendition of Hell. He doubted this was Heaven. Eventually, he found the saliva he needed in his mouth to talk again. "Nope.... Nope, nope, definitely not." At least he managed to find the energy to quote Harry Potter. Scrambling to his feet, Cody almost fell again in his rush. "Yeah, see, uh-uh. This isn't happening. This is Cody, signing off!" He started walking away, half-tempted to throw his arms up in the classic "f-this" gesture. Except someone grabbed his arm just above his elbow and he jerked to a halt. Cody would have, on any given (and, frankly, better) day, snapped out some sort of biting remark. However, the desire and the words instantly died a less-than-heroic death before even reaching his tongue. Charles was the one who stopped him from vacating the premises. He had no hope of even trying to stare the big man down so he opted for keeping his gaze upon the ground. "You're afraid. It's a reasonable response. But I don't think running away from the only other people here will do a lot of good." Cody hesitated, his eyes shifting upward towards Charles's chin. The man had spoken somewhat slowly and Cody couldn't help but feel as if Charles wasn't certain about his words. But not in that "I could be completely wrong and we're all going to perish" manner. Just sort of like he wasn't certain the words were the right ones to use. Cody didn't respond but, after several moments, Charles released his arm. He didn't take off running. Instead, Cody tentatively turned to face the women and sucked in a breath. He had hoped it would steady him but it didn't. So much for movie logic. "Okay... Name's Cody and he's, uh..." Cody trailed off, glancing at Charles from the corner of his eye. Was he allowed to introduce the other man? He waited but the guy didn't make to introduce himself so, "... and he's Charles. We don't know what this place is either." He rubbed at his right eye. Pausing, he shifted his gaze to the grass and then rubbed at his eye again. Gradually, a frown crossed his face. Is that... a health bar? It sat at the edge of his vision, a small bar filled in with dark green. Beneath it was a thinner, dark steel bar. "What is--" A flicker entered his gaze, almost like an indicator, and he looked up. Level One: Start.... Cody gaped at the letters scrawled across the sky. It looked like the jet-stream writing of an acrobatic flyer. Except, something in his gut told him this wasn't a good sign. A rumble began to pass through the ground. Inhaling sharply, Cody looked back down at his feet. "An earthquake?" Perversely, it seemed so normal. Until the ground began to buck and split. The crack appeared between his feet, the sides pulling away like someone moving sheets of paper apart. "Oh, ****!" His balance was thrown off as an abyss yawned open. Cody started to fall, no ground beneath to catch him, but Charles snatched the back of his shirt, hoisting him up to where the man stood. With a better look, Cody could see the entire grassland dividing up into segments, some descending and others rising like the platforms in a vide--"Oh me...." Color bled away. Green land melted into white tiles hovering above an endless fall. The sky's soft blue became gray. In the distance, something that almost looked like a cityscape began to take shape. Share this post Link to post
Posted April 19, 2019 (edited) Anne - HP: 100 Anne’s eyes shifted from person to person, trying to gauge the threat level of each of them. Currently the broad man was the one who seemed to have the most intimidating aura, though compared to Garp and Nomu, the two most powerful people Anne knew, he didn’t seem too far from her own skill level. The woman still perplexed her, though Anne felt herself appreciating her attire, it reminded her somewhat of her own usual outfits before she left her home. For most of her teen years she had solely worn a bikini top, but when she left her home Anne’s adoptive mother had suggested she wear something a bit more conservative, since her first destination would be a navy base. Anne watched with mild amusement as the blue(ish) haired guy made to start running but was stopped by the broad man, the new location must have really been getting to him, Anne wondered if he was from a peaceful little island in the east blue. After a quiet word from the broad man, Anne took the time to properly tie up her boots, the blue(ish) haired man decided to introduce them. “Okay names Cody and he’s, uh…” Cody looked quizzically at his broad friend, who may not actually be his friend. Anne had assumed the two had arrived here together considering how they had been acting. Cody continued, “… and he’s Charles. We don’t know what this place is either”. Anne turned her gaze back left towards the blonde girl, expecting an introduction, but there seemed to be something in the corner of her eye. Was something wrong with her colour of observation? She squinted and rubbed her eye, activating and deactivating her haki, but what she now saw was a line, refused to move. As she was about to comment on it there was a sudden rumble and the stretching green ground began to move. “Oh great, more shaking. This is a hell of a night… day?” Anne exclaimed. She immediately felt concern for Cody, he probably hadn’t been on a ship before and the rocking ground would surely be throwing him off. Anne smiled in bemusement as, sure enough, Cody was falling. She didn’t have to move though, as Charles had already acted to keep Cody from falling. Anne felt a pang of dread and then quickly stepped backwards as the ground beneath her began to descend below the others, with a quick move of her wrist, she gripped one of her batons and cast it upwards, her long hair bubbled and shrunk to above her shoulders as a whip of water was cast out from her outstretched baton. Like a whip it coiled around the leg of the broad Charles before freezing around him. Her water-whip reached its limit and the ground moved downwards and away from Anne, leaving her suspended by her baton. “Hey up there, Charles! Keep standing there for a bit, I’m just trying to have a look around!” Anne called as she slowly rotated, her grip had slackened now that she was safely secured to the strong-man. The platform she’d been on had descended quite a way and she could now see an unending space beneath the ground. “I guess it is just more islands, endless ground was too good to be true. Only islands on an ocean of… nothing… I wonder if the sky islands on the grand line are like this,” Anne thought aloud. She was growing quite impressed by the security of Charles as a handhold, he hadn’t budged since she’d been suspended from him. Though she didn’t want to start to irritate her new companion, especially if she was going to have to make use of his strength at a later date. “Coming up!” She called out. The water began to reel in, as it did Anne’s hair started returning to its normal length. When she came into arm’s length of the platform, she flung her free hand over the edge and pulled herself up, the ice around Charles leg returned to water and the remaining trail returned to her, bringing her hair back to its usual length. Anne dusted herself off and gave Charles an appreciative slap on the back. “Thanks for that bud,” her gaze moved to check on the status of the others and she gave Cody a reassuring smile. “Watch your step Cody, it’s a bit of a drop,” she said as she peered once more over the side. Edited April 19, 2019 by Marcus Pheonix Share this post Link to post
Posted April 20, 2019 (edited) [Ready Player: [USS CV-8] Hornet] [HP: 100% | Status: OK | Rigging: Active/0 planes] [LEVEL ~ I] A sound of something landing. Heh...? Hornet turned a bit to see a woman. She definitely hadn't been there before. Weird. And then she was a puddle. Hornet clenched her teeth, but the woman reformed. The woman then buttoned up a shirt before coming over with the same question as Hornet herself had had. Apparently the man with brightly-coloured hair was weirded out too - but to a greater degree? He tried to leave after stating his name as Cody, but the large man grabbed him by the arm. It was then that Hornet noticed that the larger man had an aura of power. Power. Command. Danger. Not someone she wanted to provoke for any reason, it seemed. The larger man stated that running away wasn't a good idea, and Hornet found herself nodding. Figuring out what the heck was up would at least be less dangerous with backup. Because it was too quiet here. A few moments later, the large man released Cody from his grasp. Cody seemed to take a minute to collect himself, before introducing himself, and then introducing the commanding man as Charles. "Cody and Charles, hm? I'll remember those." Hornet responded. Hornet readied herself to speak -- And the ground started shaking. "Whoa!" Hornet shifted her body and feet, suddenly reminded of when the seas became rough and ready to toss ships and shipgirls around - even sink those who weren't careful on occasion. A flicker through Hornet's vision. Level One: Start.... Hornet hissed a bit of air in surprise. No sooner had the letters appeared than they disappeared. And that was when a green bar popped up. "Okay, what is going on here...?" Islands of white in the grey sky. A void yawned beneath them if she looked down. She was nearly at the edge. "Oh, Creator. Damn." Hornet scuttled back as though burnt. It honestly made her dizzy to look down upon - she was no creature of air. A distant... city? She remembered hearing Raleigh and Omaha talk about visiting one, once.... And then a commotion caught her attention. She turned to see Charles catch Cody, before spotting the whip of water lashed around Charles's leg. The other woman then came up, and slapped Charles on the back. ...this wasn't gonna end well, was it? Hornet barely heard the woman call Charles 'bud' and then try to reassure Cody. The shipgirl remained in her spot, not interested in coming closer to the edge immediately after that huge of a shift. She looked around again, before stepping closer when she was sure the ground and void had settled. Edited April 17, 2020 by DuskOfTheStars Share this post Link to post
Posted April 20, 2019 (edited) Quick update: I added some information to Charles's sheet as Extras. I felt it might become important through the course of the thread. Everyone is welcome to make additions to their sheets overtime as well if they feel it helps clarify something about their character(s). Just let me know so I can reflect those additions in the first post. [ Ready Player -- Charles Cornick ] { Support -- Cody ; Hornet ; Anne ; Status ; Health -- 100% ; Brother Wolf ; Alert ; Shape ; Human } Howl ; Born Moon Called Charles still believed he was never good with people, despite his wife's assurances. When Cody started to panic and retreat, Brother Wolf stirred with the anticipation of a hunt. It took Charles's quick action to dampen his brother's desire to give chase. Unfortunately, it left the human's arm in his grasp. Which left Charles in the awkward placement of coming up with something to say that would hopefully reduce the human's need to run away. However, he didn't think 'my wolf will hunt you if you run' was going to be helpful. So he tried something else instead and, after several heartbeats, it seemed to work. Cody was no longer inclined to flee, much to Brother Wolf's displeasure. As introductions proceeded, he left Cody to speak as his own attention turned to something in his eye. He couldn't make sense of what it was, but it ended up not being something to be concerned about for the moment. Charles staggered as the ground began to shake violently. Trying to find a rhythm to the abrupt tremors, he caught a glimpse of Cody staring at the ground. He'll fall. Brother Wolf reacted faster than Charles. As the land pulled away from beneath the human's feet, Charles took a quick step and reached his hand out, snatching the back of Cody's shirt. Without hesitating, he pulled the man to more-stable ground. The blonde woman was her own segment, within jumping distance if Charles had gauged it correctly. He almost missed the other woman, noticing her descent at nearly the last moment. Hurrying closer to the edge of his--tile?--a watery tendril shot up and wrapped around his calf. The denim of his pant leg started to become saturated until the water solidified, icicles spreading to the fabric. He heard her shout and folded his arms over his chest. The ground had ceased its quaking and, eventually, the woman climbed onto the platform. Then she slapped his back and called him 'bud'. Charles's gaze became half-lidded, concealing his eyes so she couldn't meet them; there was no need to put her in her place. Yet. "You. Do not touch me. I am not your 'bud'." Very rarely did he ever need to explain something that was well understood by nearly all who had stood in his vicinity. It was how he kept others at bay. Once in awhile, however, a wolf or a human (never the Fae) decided to test his boundaries. Most of them learned quickly enough. Robert had learned almost instantly not to call him Chief a second time. (Although his manners hadn't improved before the pup returned to his pack.) This woman, like the blonde-haired one, smelled like the ocean. However, she was also clearly human, not a Fae. A wizard, perhaps, then; it explained her ability to manipulate water. That left two humans, vulnerable to whatever was happening in this strange world, under his protection. What of the third? He inhaled, trying to catch her scent on still air. She, too, smells like the sea, but there is oil tainting it. Not human, but she can't be Fae either. The metal piece she had ruled that out, as far as he knew. Brother Wolf couldn't provide Charles with anything more to hint at what she may be. It bothered him, not knowing who or what he was in the company of, but she had so far not presented herself as any kind of threat. However, it could just as easily mean she was the biggest threat to him here. Many old and powerful Fae had no trouble hiding the level of their power. So could his father, for that matter. Unfolding his arms, Charles moved closer to the edge that faced the woman in yellow and black. "Cody. Can you jump this?" The man approached, noticeably avoiding the possibility of touching Charles, and shook his head. "No... No I don't think so. It looks a lot farther." He figured as much, but it felt courteous to ask. Glancing back at the wizard, he motioned with his hand. "You. Make your decision: jump if you can or wait for me." "Wait. Wait, no--" Charles ignored Cody's protesting, ignored the spike in the human's fear, and grabbed the man's shirt before he could think to flee. The man gasped as his feet were lifted off the ground and his body was hoisted over Charles's shoulder. "No! Pu--You'll kill us!" Charles sprang off the edge of the tile, passing over the descending darkness, and landed on the segment the blonde-woman stood upon. He lowered Cody from his shoulder, keeping a hand on his shoulder until the man was steady. The human remained silent, hands covering his face. "You're not dead." "Yet. I'm not dead yet." At least he removed his hands from his face. He may be right. But that was a concern only Charles felt. Brother Wolf was much more certain in their ability to keep the humans safe and alive. Two strides and Charles leapt again, returning for the wizard. Edited April 21, 2019 by ValidEmotions Share this post Link to post
Posted April 21, 2019 (edited) Tossing in character #2! Controller: Dusky Name: Enterprise Origins: Azur Lane | Enterprise’s page, note it lacks her EN lines: https://azurlane.koumakan.jp/Enterprise Age: Unknown (ambiguous in canon) | Appears to be mid 20s Gender: Female (she/her) Physical Appearance: Here's a link. She's about 6'0". Strengths: -Kansen: Enterprise is a personified battleship. As such, she has rigging that she must summon to battle but may unsummon outside battle and the ability to walk on water, and some metal/mechanical-ness inside her body. -Aircraft Carrier: Enterprise is capable of summoning planes that scale with her present size and function as drones. Her rigging includes a runway to launch planes from. She may summon one of three types: fighter, dive bomber, or torpedo bomber. She may have up to five total planes active at any one time. -Kansen: Enterprise is a personified battleship. As such, she has rigging that she must summon to battle but may unsummon outside battle and the ability to walk on water, and some metal/mechanical-ness inside her body. In addition, she may dispel her rigging to summon her warship body, which she pilots without any crew. However, as long as the ship is active she may not use her rigging and any damage her ship body takes will hurt her as well. She must desummon the ship in order to use her rigging again. -Aircraft Carrier: Enterprise is capable of summoning planes that function as drones, which are sized based on whether they're launched from her rigging or warship body. Her rigging includes a runway to launch planes from. She may summon one of three types: fighter, dive bomber, or torpedo bomber. She may have up to five total planes active at any one time. -Skill: Lucky E: When Enterprise launches her planes, she has a high chance to increase her luck and evasion for several seconds. This chance may also include her planes dealing extra damage for several seconds. -Grey Ghost: Enterprise has high luck. She is incapable of bestowing this upon others, though.... Equipment: -Eagle Companion: Enterprise owns a bald eagle named Grim Reaper. She was given to Enterprise by Yorktown as the latter was dying, before Enterprise was made to leave. Grim will tolerate being touched by others of Enterprise's family, but may or may not tolerate others depending on how they treat her. Other Information: -As a soldier in a war, Enterprise has been traumatised by her experiences and losing her family. -Her rigging includes her airstrip, her bow, and the metallic bits on the outside of her body. Edited April 17, 2020 by DuskOfTheStars Share this post Link to post
Posted April 21, 2019 (edited) Anne - HP: 100 Anne looked out towards the horizon, the strange platforms seemed to be heading towards several large rectangles in the distance, judging from their faded colour they were quite far away. The blonde had been separated onto the next platform leading towards the rectangles. “You. Do not touch me. I am not your bud” came the deep voice from behind her. Anne glanced back in surprise to look at the broad-shouldered Charles, her smile fading briefly before returning with a raised eyebrow. His attitude reminded her of a mix between the girls from her island and Nomu. The girls had always been distant and had never acknowledged any of Annes attempts at friendship. And Nomu had always acted with a strong sense of superiority, though behind her cold exterior she was basically a big puppy. Anne’s grin widened as she envisioned the large burly Charles as a puppy. Maybe a beagle, with it’s dopey ears and slowly wagging tail. She probably looked quite peculiar to the others around her. Charles was talking again. It seemed like he’d come to the same conclusion Anne had that the platform with Blondie on it was the next step. Anne also wondered whether or not Cody would be able to jump it. He likely didn’t have haki and he certainly didn’t possess one of the six powers of the navy, the moon walk in particular which allowed one to leap off of the air itself. When training, Garp had suggested Anne learn the powers but she had focused on haki instead, as it would be more useful in the long run. Charles then turned and pointed at Anne “You. Make your decision: Jump if you can or wait for me.” Anne’s second eyebrow raised, her lips pursed, as she was referred to as a ‘You’. “I have a name you know Charles. It’s Anne,” She replied, loud enough so that it would carry to Blondie on the other platform. She didn’t quite get what he meant when he said wait for her. Then he was suddenly grabbing the equally shocked Cody and leaping across the gap with the blue haired man in his clutches. After putting the traumatised guy down, Anne was really starting to feel sorry for him, Charles jumped back over to her platform, looking expectantly at her. And leaned back and crossed her arms. “Ahh I see. So, I can’t touch you, but you can grab us whenever you want huh?” Anne asked, in the same manner a teacher would a rebellious student. With a few quick steps she reached the edge of the platform and soared across to the other side landing both feet down. Anne turned back to Charles on the other island and tilted her hat towards him. “You know you should watch that attitude. If you’d spoken like that to my friend… she would have eaten you… or at least crushed you. If she wasn’t hungry,” Anne remarked. At full size nothing short of an Island Whale or a couple Seakings could really sate Nomu’s hunger. She stepped over to Cody and lazily draped her arm around him. “Don’t worry Cody. Next big jump we have, I’ll carry you across, would you prefer over the shoulder like Charles or bridal style?” Anne asked him her friendly smile once again adorning her features. “I could also just throw you. Unless Blondie here has a more sensible way to get across,” Anne said, shifting her attention to the blonde girl who still hadn’t introduced herself. Edited April 21, 2019 by Marcus Pheonix Share this post Link to post
Posted April 22, 2019 Hiya there friend. I finally finished my character sheet :'> If I need to draw some art references I will do that too ^^ Controller: EpickFaylia/Jace Name: Paris Lovell Zarek. Goes by “Lucky”. Origins: OC [MtG/FE/JJBA] Age: 23 Gender: Biologically Female, Male Presenting/Passing Physical Appearance: Standing upright, Lucky is approximately 6’2. He has lightly tanned caucasian skin and dark blue hair with white streaks running through it, though it isn’t from age, its from exposure to a hair whitening metal used by the mages in the Izzet League, a guild from his home plane of Ravnica. He has light blue eyes and a constant charismatic smirk, however you wouldn’t see his eyes under most circumstances, he usually wears brass goggles over them. His outfit consists of the typical fare of a proud Izzet League member; black heavy, long sleeved undershirt (usually pushed up to the elbows), black pants with blue and gold stripes down the sides and knee high boots. Over top of this is a decorative blue tunic and a gold cape. Strengths: Magnesis Like his father before him, Lucky excels in electrical powered magic, however, unlike Ral who was proficient in lightning and thunder magic, Lucky’s magic manifests in waves of magnetism. He can use this to pull/push large/heavy objects, add a deadly spin onto his axe, Hector, or even simply use it as a means of moving about when his lightning greaves fail him. Izzet Ingenuity The Izzet League is a guild of eccentric civil engineering mages who are known to be creative, spontaneous, and intelligent--but don’t let that fool you, they’re all these things with wild, reckless abandon, and are known to experiment to their hearts’ content, much to the dismay (or enthrallment?) of the people around them. Things may explode; and things may get a little weird. Like the guild he came from, Lucky also has an insatiable thirst for knowledge and pursues this almost dangerously; however, when it comes to the endangerment or well-being of the people around him, he tends to put this desire second. Weird Engineering An important skill that most, if not all, Izzet mages know is the ability to create synthetic elementals known as weirds. A notable weird in Ravnican history is Melek, Izzet Paragon, however most weirds aren’t usually named, and only used as tools to help further research magic. It’s widely unknown what weirds are made of… some like Melek or the less notable Frostburn weird seem to be made of ice, whereas other weirds such as the Blistercoil weird seem to be made from molten metal. It’s rumored that not even the Izzet themselves know how it’s done, and that weirds only hold themselves together by sheer force of contradiction. With enough parts and resources, Lucky can make his own weirds using the magnetic energy he’s adept at and uses this to help his companion, the Nivix Drobot. Equipment: Lightning Greaves/Lightning Gauntlets Due to Lucky’s natural inability to walk, his legs are protected by gold plated greaves with blue pulsating mana surging through that cover the boots his legs are in. They’re connected to a large gaudy generator he wears on his back like a backpack that siphons red/blue aligned mana from the land around him and into his body. The electricity generated allows him to cycle the mana through his body in such cohesion that he’s able to walk--however, in planes where he cannot siphon mana, or is unfamiliar with the density of mana, he loses this ability. For an added bonus, he also wears matching gauntlets on his arms which channel magnetic energy. Nivix Drobot: A gift of sorts from Elzaphan, though not one offered without mutual agreement between gift and giftee. Drobot is a small terrestrial drake housed in secret in the Nivix guildhall by Elzaphan after finding him weak and on the brink of death wandering the shadows of Ravnica’s undercity. Seeing as he is a dragon, by all technicalities, it was of the utmost importance that he use what influence he had through the guild’s highest ranking mage, Guildmage Ral Zarek, to conceal his existence lest their unruly parun Niv-Mizzet root him out and dispose of him as he did the rest of Ravnica’s dragon population. After devising a means of communication between the two using a voice modulator that provided the drake speech, Elzaphan soon formed a strong bond of fondness with the drake, and for saving his life, the drake lent himself to El’s experimentation with metallurgy. And while Elzaphan could have been cruel, as such reckless disregard is part and parcel amongst the Izzets, this instead led to the crafting of a mechanical flight suit that enabled flight via wings and boosters, bracers that strengthened and fortified his body, and a mana-powered headset that allowed for focused laser blasts. The drake then took on the imaginative name Drobot from Elzaphan, considering it a great honor to be named by “a fellow dragon”, and agreed to become an assistant to his dear companion Lucky Zarek. Due to his biomechanical nature, he is compatible with and compliant with further upgrades, making him a boon to any aspiring Izzet looking to hone their craft. Hector, Blade of the Radiant A large axe that Lucky found in the wreckage of the Nivix building in Ravnica’s dystopian future from which he hails. It was rumored to have come from Lucky’s other parent that he lost some time before he was born, and takes care of it knowing it was from the father he didn’t know. He lovingly named it Hector and refers to it as if it’s another human being entirely maybe as a means of feeling close to the fabled Radiant Hero that his lost parent was rumored to be. Shortly after Lucky’s planeswalker spark ignited, he became aware of a spiritual ego that resided within the axe that gave it it’s thunder aligned capabilities. He’s still very unfamiliar with the spirit. Other Information: Spells: Downsize Multiverse ID: 265374 Shrinks target incrementally until their size is ¼ of the size it was previously. Overload: If Lucky channels an extremely large amount of mana, it affects all targets of the same type in the area. Weapon Surge Multiverse ID: 369004 Target ally or weapon gains an electric charge Overload: If Lucky channels an extremely large amount of mana, it affects all allies or all weapons in the area. Lightning Bolt Multiverse ID: 442130 Does a small amount of damage to target opponent. Counterflux Multiverse ID: 405183 Dispels a spell or ability that targets Lucky Possibility Storm Multiverse ID: 369013 Summons a large electrical storm that warps and changes all other casted spells into something possibly better? Possibly worse? Epic Experiment Multiverse ID: 405215 Expands a large field of magnesis around Lucky, the more mana spent on this, the larger the area. For a small amount of time, other mages in the area can use the energy generated by the magnesis as mana for their spells; but they need to be quick. It doesn’t last forever. Cyclonic Rift Multiverse ID: 425860 A small controlled tornado is summoned and sends the target to gods-know-where. Overload: If Lucky channels an extremely large amount of mana, it becomes a large uncontrollable cyclone that ravages the area. Share this post Link to post
Posted April 22, 2019 (edited) Controller: Sugar-Free Name: Ugin Elzaphan Beleren Origins: OC [MtG/FE/Bloodborne] Age: 19, but looks a bit younger than his bodily age. Gender: Male Physical Appearance: [link] Elzaphan isn’t a tall young man, standing at a relatively meager 5’6” and is unreasonably pale-skinned. Though his short hair is a relatively typical shade of dark brown (albeit with a greenish, copper-tarnished cast to it), his red eyes stand in contrast to the rest of him. On his forehead, an odd shape in the same color can be found: a Brand of some sort. His outfit consists of a collared black sleeveless shirt over which a hooded vest belted under the hood’s fold is layered. His wrists are ringed with tight gold bands, and his legs are dressed in electric-blue pants that are run with yellow stripes down the sides. These tuck into ankle-high black boots adorned with similar stripes, and they bag noticeably around where the tuck begins. Strengths: Mana +Mind Mage: Being of blue mage descent, Elzaphan retains the ability to rearrange and snip memories from his victims, and this extends so far as to crush the very nest of a person's personality and history with a passing impulse. However, this process is not only taxing to him (to the point of inducing vomiting and rendering him unconscious, in worst cases), but morally repugnant, and he would only ever utilize this method in the most extreme of circumstances. +Telepath Unwound: As it would be expected, El is an accomplished telepath. While he may not enjoy the prospect of destroying a person or being from the inside out, he doesn’t have many qualms about taking the occasional curious peek. This allows him to imprint his voice into the minds of others, as well as link his mind to a group as to facilitate telepathic speech between those included. This can be especially helpful whenever certain people wish to share information, but only to a select few. It is also particularly useful whenever speaking out loud is not possible or is ineffective. After all, the only thing that can mute his telepathy is an especially gifted enemy mind mage, as otherwise, one would seldom notice his intrusion unless he made it known. +Illusionist: His illusion proficiency measures scores above his mind manipulation skills. Finding the tendency of his forebearer to sling out lazy copies of himself a waste of potential, Elzaphan has spent countless hours into days refining his talent for recreation of forms for the purpose of utility. He has mastered his replications down to the threads in an illusion's outfit, the crevices and folds of unique skin structures, and with a little help from his mind magic, he can even recreate scents and some basic memories of whomever (or whatever) he is impersonating for deeper deception. Though his power may come off as intimidating, more often than not, he uses his illusions as...practice. Be that with social skills, personal skills, or less reputable things a boy of his age might indulge in. The downside is that with his unrefined mind magic in tandem, he often projects the more...sensitive subjects of his mind's inner workings whilst dreaming. This can lead to extremely awkward occurrences with unfortunate passerbys. Note: The above examples fall under the mana-based classification of magic. This means natural sources from which a contained source of mana ebb (water-blue mana, fire-red mana, etc.) must be present for them to work. The amount of mana that can be extruded from said sources is directly linked to the potency of said powers. However, spirit stones can be converted to make up for a natural source if need be. Anima +Thunder Anima Proficiency: Being descended from a prodigious archsage has lent a great deal of inborn talent in the Thunder classification of anima magic. This division of magic relies on the coercion of and communication with insubstantial elemental spirits to call forth similarly-aligned manifestations. Passive Effects +Eldritch Ancestry: Being not entirely human has its perks...and its downsides. Uncanny Insight: As the blood of a transdimensional entity courses through his veins, Elzaphan finds himself drawn to and equally invested in all things metaphysical and incomprehensible. Objects that might corrupt or otherwise disturb the mind are no issue to Elzaphan’s impenetrable defenses. He is especially adept at handling and finding objects that twist the very nature of reality, and enjoys tinkering with them, even if he may suffer a little ego death from offering himself too much to uncovering their secrets. As well, he may look upon even the most mind-melting of scenes or creatures without losing sight of what is real. Ribbonflesh: The presence of Water spirits reside in El’s tissues. While he does not omnipotent control or access to then via cast magic, they do imbue the flesh with an inordinate amount of flexibility that he has some control over. However, as he is not consciously aware of that, the most effective--and most frightening--means of accessing this trait is anxiety. If put under too much undue pressure, or if he is embarrassed, El’s body has a chance of sloughing off its skin down to the nerve layer in progressing ribbons, starting most often at the fingertips. This process is excruciatingly painful, and leaves him at risk for bleeding out or infection. It is pertinent that he be calmed down before his entire body is torn to pieces by itself, leaving him a quivering mass of sensitive, bleeding, spongy pink skin. As he learns to control his anxiety and care for his needs, he may one day be more capable of controlling this power for some good (and his health.) Ribbongraft: Another strange trait of his skin is the ability for the sloughed ribbons to be used for grafts. As they contain all the components needed for a graft to be successful, and they are fully capable of assimilating with seemingly all skin types, no surgical assistant need be administered, should El use them to treat wounds. But just like his anxious spells, the process of generating ribbons is tremendously painful for him, as he must cut into his own skin to start the process, and said process brings several risks to his health. It must be used under close observation and only when needed. Bottomless Stomach: The unique nature of El’s body makes him function differently than normal. All food processed goes directly to the Water spirits that imbue his tissues. This also lends his stomach to being nigh-bottomless, and capable of being controlled as to what is digested and what is kept from such, making him a walking, talking Bag of Holding...within reason. Especially abrasive, large, sharp, or filling objects are a no-go. Equipment: +Elluck: A self-composed tome from which El cants to summon powerful Thunder spirits. It is a preferential weapon (meaning it will not deplete in uses and can't be wielded by others), and has the unique capability of evolving as it is used and edited. Elzaphan has imbued the tome with red and blue mana via processed spirit stones into ink to facilitate and strengthen his mana-based powers when land sources are not available. This unique tome is wrought with a very special person referred through its pages, and like its namesake, it is empowered with increased chance to strike critical hits and draws the user to hidden treasures, be they tucked away in sandy dunes or verdant plains. +Hedron: [link] A small, hand-crafted approximation of the hedrons found on the plane of Zendikar. Instead of being forged from the same material, this 7” replicant is instead carved from a spirit stone, the condensed and corporealized remains of an elemental spirit. This implement floats seemingly of its own accord, and it can be used to channel anima or mana as well as function as a small, pocket-dimensional holding space (mostly for snacks.) +Septipedal Equuhedron: [link] [hastily scrawled interpretation] A “weirded” conglomeration of horses found wandering the razed expanses of Zendikar where the extraplanar Eldrazi touched. The once-shattered mind of this herd of horses was made whole by Elzaphan’s uncorrupting touch, and the fearful, scattered consciousnesses have been soothed into one cohesive existence, simultaneously able to feel individual pleasures but reflecting back onto itself as a single decision-maker. It now serves Elzaphan and his friends as a loving, peaceful mount. He has bestowed upon it the especially creative name “Leg Horse”. Other Information: =There are two instincts driving Elzaphan: consume, and create. If these needs are not met, they put both his health and his attention span at terrible risk. If they’re not kept up with, he may stop dead in the middle of dangerous situations to do either, be that suddenly coming up with efficiency plans for a project or eating whatever is near him for sustenance. If his cycle of input and output is disturbed, it will affect the consistency of his body as well. This is unavoidable, unfortunately, as his birthright brings with it not just prodigious skill, but consuming impulse. = El is immune to many human instincts. He lacks a sense of danger and intimidation in the face of those who are stronger or larger than he, and it tends to get him into more trouble than it does him any favors. As well, his curiosity overrides his sense of well-being, and his literalist means of processing the world make him highly susceptible to manipulation and deception. This is not to say El is fearless, though. He expresses a great deal of concern for his loved ones, including Leg Horse and Drobot, and he is plagued by the mysteries his own body provides to him. He can be easily embarrassed for his shortcomings, too, and while his skin has thickened around the Izzets, he still gets emotional. Situations where he cannot control some of the outcome are especially bad for triggering this, leading to bouts of anger and frustration that eventually decay into tears. Overall, though, he is a kind and softhearted boy, but it takes some time for him to acclimate to expectations that occur naturally to those of natural human birth. = His absolute favorite thing is chocolate. Especially citruses covered in it. Edited April 22, 2019 by Sugar-Free Share this post Link to post
Posted April 30, 2019 (edited) Thrmphthrmphthrmpth… Evening was falling fast behind the two as their journey across Zendikar was coming to a hesitant close. El could feel the fatigue in Leg Horse just by brushing across their minds, feeling familiar memories of pumping blood and straining muscles as the herd had once fled, in vain, from the onslaught of the Eldrazi titans that once ravaged the jungles and forests of the plane. It was in one such spot that the duo--or, rather the quartet, or even the dectet if he really wanted to get technical--found themselves now, at the strike of six planetime: a barren white strand of mana-stripped...he hesitated to call it land anymore...flanked by the stark demarcation of infinite greenery that carpeted the world. The strip rose onto a ridge, now crumbling, as the chalklike bones of the plane had fractured and broken in its endless shifting; from where they were seated, down below, a matched pathway still cut through the foliage mostly untouched: a vein of Ulamog’s influence. All along the cliffside, folding layers of geometry spanned in impossible configurations, some broken, all chipped, as if the soul of Zendikar, moaning in agony, had and was trying to peel away layers of dead skin from its burnt flesh, willing it to heal. El wasn’t attuned specifically to the abundance of green mana that permeated every leaf and petal it, but he could tell. The plane was sick. But it was recovering. The blight had been excised. Now, all that could be done was wait. Elzaphan parked Leg Horse outside the boundary of the white plain, unclipping himself and Lucky from their harnesses and casting forth a question into the mind of the equuhedron. Leg Horse instinctively replied, offering out a sturdy front leg with a slight curtsey, and El took care to step down using it as leverage, asking again that it do the same for his companion. Trusting that Lucky was agile enough not to hurt himself descending, he took to summoning forth the softly-glowing hedron that accompanied him into his hands, unscrewing it not unlike a sweets jar and producing a handful of apple chips from somewhere only he could corner from within. He might have been the one who organized the pocket dimension, but sometimes it surprised him that he had the slightest clue where anything was just by touch. Walking to their rear, El manifested an illusion of a bristle brush and willed it over Leg Horse’s faces, moving it in slow strokes as he fed the chips just as slowly to the gaping orifice teethed with stairsteps, bathing in the warm evening sun and the bloom of contentment from their minds as they crunched on the sweet crisps. [Elzaphan, records indicate that subject {Leg Horse} reached maximum nourishment at 1300 Ravnica planetime. Further ingestion will be in excess.] El snorted at Drobot. “There’s no harm in snacking. Keeps them tided over, y’know?” He knew all too well how important that was himself. [Subject’s body is not comparable to yours.] “So? It’ll be okay, Dro. I won’t overfeed them.” He did feel the nudge of their minds against him like a muzzle, alerting him to the need for water soon. As soon as Lucky left his perch, he lead his eyeless friend over to a nearby creek, harnessing the fluid, the pure essence of blue mana, between his hands, guiding it into the great maw with patience and watching as its depths undulated with every drink. Every once and awhile, the edges of their mouth would twitch, a phantom impulse from a mouth it no longer owned, but El assured the horses of their normalcy with another wave of kind impression. When they had had their fill, they rested at the base of a tree, folding their many legs under them in succession--still a bit of a trial of coordination, but one they’d surely master with time--and El joined them, nestling a spot between two muscular masses and leaning into the flat plane between. He closed his eyes, light and shadows dancing over his lids with the breeze, and sighed. “I don’t want to go home already, Lucky. I feel like I’ve barely shown you an iota of what all Zendikar has to offer.” He flung his arms up and rested them on Leg Horse’s side. This was only one of the various biomes the plane housed. By comparison, this wasn’t even all that exciting, matching up to what little flora was allowed to sprout in confined Ravnica’s metal and stonewrought jungle. There were still the floating isles, the humid tropics, the scorched volcanic steppes, the sea…he could keep his distance all day long from Ugin’s sanctum and his fathers would be none the wiser, so wide the lands sprawled. And in that day, they wouldn’t see it all. Not by a long shot. He turned his attentions to Lucky, suddenly wistful, as if he’d already missed a moment in time that had yet to dawn on them. “Feels like the moment we leave the guild, we gotta go right back. We’ve barely even talked in between the sightseeing, and I know how Niv is.” It was dubious, what with El’s presence in the Nivix guildhall being somewhat of a fluke, if Niv wanted or even knew about Lucky’s dwelling there in and out for the last few months. Treading on those scaly toes was a chance he didn’t know if he wanted to take with someone like Lucky’s life on the line. Worse, he’d been running himself ragged with his hedron gate projects, and just a few weeks back, he’d finally managed to scrape together the finishing touches on Drobot’s flightsuit for the Izzet celebration of Advent of the Guilds. All this at the expense of spending any time with him. Even now, on such a romantically, storybook-perfect evening such as this, the sight of all the joy in Lucky’s face draining out of him at his rejection stuck in his craw like a hull. True, he’d worked his last neuron off specifically for him, and he’d wanted forever to make good on his promise that he’d show him his home, but it was dawning ever so slightly more and more as the hours passed that he might just have been a little more than selfish about the distribution of his attentions and intentions with the man. He mulled over that feeling of...what was it? Begrudging? Embarrassment? Guilt? A little bit of it all? Leg Horse seemed to feel him projecting and twitched their legs to resituate. He didn’t like the way it grated at him, how unfair it made him seem. Lucky was one of the handful of people that had really tried to know him. One of the ones he’d truly grown to like. Not to say he didn’t enjoy the other Izzets, but having someone in his age range was a breath of fresh air. And there was just a force to the way he functioned that was electric, to pardon the pun. Just like Guildmage Zarek. Too much like, sometimes. That certainly didn’t make it easy. Do you think that’s what’s keeping you back? Back? He asked himself, No, I’m busy all the time. … … … El dragged his mind away from the frustrations before he made a manifestation of it and patted a spot for Lucky to sit. “...we still have some time, though. And I want to make up for it.” Shortly after El motioned for him to come over, Lucky came over as well--however keeping a generous distance between him and Leg Horse. He knew El trusted… it(?)... but something still unnerved him about it. Riding it had been moderately difficult, what with the offputting, spidery movements of the legs, but it was… endearing? In a mystical, pointy sort of way. He sat more closer to the tree than he did Leg Horse, but still close enough that El wouldn’t be offput by his distance, pausing only to lean his faithful companion and battleaxe, Hector, against the tree behind him. It was still in arms reach, just in case a spontaneous attack… of the leg variety… were to happen. He started noticing an odd shift in his mood a few weeks ago; it wasn’t necessarily bad, he wasn’t feeling anything negative--he just took a chunk of time to parse information. A few months ago, his spark ignited and it took him from Innistrad to Zendikar, where he met El after a small kerfuffle with who El had told him was his own father. Shortly after, he was found by El himself and they’ve been travelling back and forth between his home, Ravnica, and El’s home, Zendikar. As much as he’d been enjoying spending his time with El, he preferred to be on Ravnica with his own parents--one that he’d never met before and the other that he believed to have been dead since he was young. It was so relieving to see everyone so… “At peace” wasn’t the phrase. But was it more peaceful than the future he was born into? By a longshot. It felt as if Nicol Bolas would never attack and he’d be able to spend time with Ikeh and Ral forever. He knew better, the threat of the elder dragon was as much of an imminent danger here as it was in his future. He hoped the people in his future were holding on as well as they could without him; he wouldn’t want them to simply give up without him being there. ...and then he thought about Innistrad, and the man he thought was his father. “Hey, El.” he started, after a period of contemplative silence that he wouldn’t normally have let surface so profoundly. “Did I ever tell you how my spark ignited?” El’s mind had already started to wander down those dimmed corridors again before Lucky spoke up. It managed to startle him, but he reigned in his surprise before it either upset Leg Horse or the others; he could never be sure his mentalist talents didn’t accidentally branch out to just whoever was nearby. What a strange question, though. El hadn’t forgotten Lucky was a planeswalker, but he couldn’t say that information had lingered long in his mind after learning it. As Guildmage Zarek was one, and both of his parents could be presumed to be as well--his dad, at least. He could only guess that his father’s powers were similar, but they didn’t feel the same--it didn’t strike him as especially unique. Yes, feeling the ember of a spark inside someone’s core when he touched their minds was exhilarating, rare as it’d been so far and as sought after as they were to scholars, but when what it amounted to was just being able to leap between worlds, El wasn’t entirely impressed. That was totally, admittedly, a luxury of his: while El was not a planeswalker, he was a gatewalker--essentially as close to an artificial approximation as science had gotten. Unless you counted planar bridges, but they didn’t allow passage of organic material. El’s constructs were functionally portals, and perfectly portable, too. And a hedron gate didn’t come with the caveat of betting one’s life on the goodwill of the multiverse to save you before using it, either. But that didn’t mean that now he wasn’t utterly enthralled by Lucky’s bringing up of the topic. Even if his experience with trying to become a planeswalker still left a bitter taste, he wasn’t about to hold that against him. And, yeah, he hadn’t bothered asking how that had happened. A good part of it had been his jadedness with the topic, yes, but just as much it’d been a likely incorrectly-perceived sense of secrecy to it. To be honest, outside of the extremely disturbing revelation that the man he’d looked up to for years now--more than looked up to, for better and for worse, and now awkwardly so--had somehow conceived a child who was a little over half his age and never mentioned it, he didn’t know much about Lucky aside from guild alignment and general interests. And also yes, the galling morbidity that he’d been around him for as long as he had and seemingly hadn’t ingested more than a dermal-layer array of information about him clung like a chalky film over the back of his tongue. Am I really that self-centered? Why don’t I know more than that? But maybe it’s not my fault, he reasoned. People aren’t always open books. He couldn’t say the same for himself, purposeful or not. But maybe that’s what it’s about. I wanted to make up. Maybe he’s a better mindreader than I am. “You didn’t,” he said with a tinge of curiosity to his tone, “But you know? I never really asked. Why?” “It’s something that’s been on my mind for awhile…” Lucky paused, gathering his thoughts. Did he even tell El about the future? Or Chraum? Or Priam? So much had happened, he couldn’t think of mentioning it to anyone until El made such an effort to reach out to him. Much like Chraum did, and before him, while he was in the midst of the destroyed Ravnica, Titania kept him sane throughout their missions--although at the time, nothing as crazy as being thrown back in time or becoming a planeswalker had happened. He wondered for a few moments if he’d ever see her--hell, any of them ever again. He could easily planeswalk to Innistrad to find Priam and Chraum (hopefully before anything worse happened), but going forward in time? That was something he couldn’t even begin to think of figuring out. “How much have I told you, El?” El shook his head, failing to recall any one specific piece of information that wasn’t “is a planeswalker”. “Nothing at all. It’s weird, yanno…” El shrugged. “Even though we hang out, we don’t know all that much about each other. I thought it was just me, but…” And he promptly stopped talking. The last thing he wanted was to come off like he was being judgy. Then, Lucky might shut down on him, and they might be here in the same place next year. “Well? Hmm… I don’t exactly know where to start. It was a lot easier the first time this happened, I had a lot less things to talk about.” First time? Second time? He felt like at this point, he might as well expect a third time to fling him into some world he didn’t know or understand. “Well,” he chuckled out, “there’s always the beginning. But, uh…” He struggled to figure out just what made him hesitate, but it did. There always seemed to be a hint of something holding him back with the men in his life. He breathed in and sighed out heavily through his nose. “...don’t force it if it’s hard, okay? We’ve got all the time in the world.” Maybe not in this one, but that was neither here nor there. There was so much--so, so much. He felt like all the time in the world was barely enough to cover everything he went through. “Well, I suppose I should start from the very beginning.” he took a deep breath. “Back when I fought with Nicol Bolas for the last… I hoped it would be last time, anyways…” He sprinted forward towards the closing doors. “Aaaghh!” he screamed, flinging Hector with all his might towards the doors, where the great axe lodged in between them enough to keep them pried open. Titania was yelling for him to wait--to slow down, but with Bolas just in arms reach? There was no way he was stopping now, without her wings she was much slower than he was, and moments after he ran through the doors, pulling Hector along with him, they slammed closed-- with the faint banging of fists on the door. But Titania was almost inaudible compared to the room he found himself in. It was a near perfect fit to what he imagined the Chamber of the Guildpact had been--based on what he read in books, the sketches he saw, paintings, but it was lit by a huge Izzet invention that drew the eyes in-- --! Lucky’s eyes widened at the sight. “Dad?” he whispered softly at the sight of the older man, definitely an Izzet, who was restrained in the machine and mechanisms that threw so much powerful neon across the room. “Ral!” he screamed running over to the machine, flinging Hector to a side. The older man’s head rose up weakly. “Lucky.” He froze in front of him. “I have… I have to get you out.” Lucky’s hands went to the machine immediately, turning screws, pulling cords, and taking chunks of metal from around his father-- --who was alive. “Lucky, stop. It’s a trap, you’re playing right into it.” Lucky stopped for a moment. “NO. I don’t care; I have to get you out.” Softly, a mechanical whir began to kick up, humming softly before slowly thumping softly as if the room itself began to resurrect with a metal heartbeat. Lucky’s hands went to Ral’s arm, freeing it from the mechanical teeth of the machine. Soft blue light began to pulse under him; somewhere faintly, he heard static leap from coils that laid hidden in the room. With one of Ral’s arms free, he flew to the other one with the same destructive reverse engineering that freed his other arm. The air became ripe with static, thick like a sparkling second layer of skin. The pulsing blue neon threw desperate shades of bright blue and eerie red across the two of them. “GO.” Ral’s voice commanded, and with a hard shove he pushed Lucky back. Time slowed to a crawl and Lucky fell backwards from the strange Izzet device, falling down the sharp incline he had bounded upward so quickly to where his father was. Lucky looked over his shoulder to catch himself--stairs? Had I run up so many stairs? There was the sound of metal tinging hard against stone as Lucky came to a rest at the bottom of the stairs. He screamed. The room was full of lightning--spikes dancing and scampering all about the room, radiating from a pillar of electricity that he was pushed from. He staggered to his legs, only for them to weaken and crumple beneath him. His greaves were beyond broken. On his arms he pulled himself upwards stair by stair towards the column of light that held his father in it. There was a laugh--a snide dragony laugh from behind him. “So you’re the leader of the Guildless.” He turned around to see the great elder dragon himself, Nicol Bolas standing not but a few meters behind him. Lucky held out his arms, and with a burst of magnesis, yanked Hector over to himself. “Don’t act like you don’t know anything. You know who I am.” He let out another chuckle--a grating reptilian sound that goaded Lucky into flinging his great-axe at the dragon’s head with all his might. Bolas snaked his head to a side, ignoring his attack completely. He walked closer--and Lucky used his arms to pull himself backwards with all his might. “Interesting.” Bolas said, his voice full of a calculating dismissal that rendered Lucky almost incapable of speech. “The leader of this Radiant Guild I keep hearing about that stands for so much freedom...” Bolas’s clawed hand wrapped around Lucky’s leg and hoisted him into the air, dangling him like a Simic biomancer would dangle some lesser species before their studious face. “...can’t even stand on his two legs.” Lucky’s eyes met with Bolas’s--refusing to give in to the fear Bolas tried so hard to strike into him, and once more with a wave of magnesis, pulled Hector from his resting place in the ceiling behind Bolas towards his unsuspecting target. Momentarily, he was caught off guard and the blade sliced through a shoulder with ease, Bolas leaping from Hector’s ruinous path before it clattered onto the floor before the Izzet generator that continued to pump lightning about the room. Bolas’ claw went from simply dangling him to gripping him about the waist like a ragdoll, his eyes locked on Lucky as if he’d been momentarily duped by some mage that not just moments before proved to him to be near helpless--and before he knew it, Lucky was flung through the air. Once again, time slowed to a near crawl--however this time, he felt as if he could still move freely as if this strange time warp feeling was only an illusion. He looked forward towards his destination--that pillar of electricity that claimed his father’s life, it was going to claim his, too. He reached out and with a wave of magnesis pulled Hector into his hands. He was going to get another hit on Bolas, even if it killed him. “Lucky.” “Always remember that anything is a possibility.” BANG-- Before Lucky was even aware enough to comprehend what had happened, his body slammed into a long forgotten boiler deep in the bowels of-- “Nivix?” Lucky whispered faintly after his body toppled to the ground. Another place he’d only seen in drawings, read in books-- --was he sent back in time? His body was throbbing with pain and his head rested backwards against the condensated metal bewildered. He closed his eyes, exhausted beyond belief. Lucky finished recounting his tale--his hands looked down to see he had subconsciously reached for Hector and was wringing his hands around the handle in anger? No, he wasn’t angry, worried? That was perhaps maybe the thing that caused it. He dropped Hector into his lap. And put his head in his hands, frustrated. Part of him wondered if the same thing would have happened if he had waited for Titania to catch up to him, part of him wondered if they would have even had the opportunity to strike--as a Boros angel, she was so used to fighting with her wings. --since her dewinging she hadn’t really been the same, it felt like. And that wasn’t even the full story. Just the first part. “El?” Edited April 30, 2019 by Sugar-Free Share this post Link to post
Posted April 30, 2019 El listened. Without interruption or distraction, he watched and listened as the words rolled forth from Lucky’s mouth. At several points, his expression turned dour, a deep, dark shadow falling over his face and weighing it down until his perpetual smirk had all but disappeared. It looked to age him, adding shallows to his cheeks and eyes, and he could have sworn he’d seen a rim of tears breach over his eyelids. Lucky’s grip on his weapon--an axe that shown with arcs of Thunder--tightened with every passing second, and El wondered if his strength and his sorrow was so great it would break its hilt asunder. But when the tension finally broke, as if in realization of his strain, he dropped Hector back on his lap, and the strong, clever, jubilant Lucky cast his head into his hands. Defeated? No. Not him. Not ever. Without raising up, he said his name, but in the question, he couldn’t decipher how he was supposed to answer. Instead, El only had more questions. So many, many, crushing more. He could barely wrap his mind around what he was hearing from him. About Bolas, his origins, Ral… Bolas...invades Ravnica? But how? How was that possible? And why? I never thought he was a force of good, but I never could imagine what he’d have to do with there. And going so far to capture Guildmage Zarek...to...use him. To...to… The rush of fear coming up from his stomach almost choked him, and he saw stars. No, static-- It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be. He’s going to kill Ral. No. No one could ever...he pressed a hand to his chest to quell his nauseous, throbbing heart in vain. No one could kill Ral. He’s too strong. Too smart for them. And not nearly as weighed down by the hubris of dragonkind. There’s no way it can be possible. He’s wrong. He must be. But why would he lie to him? This was obviously a man who was pained to the point of physical turmoil over it. He’d thought it was just some strange, otherwise reason Lucky had been so locked at the hip with Guildmage. Maybe fanaticism. Or maybe something more sinister. After all, there was no way Guildmage had a son. Not one of Lucky’s age. He was too young. And who was that blue-haired man, anyway? Supposedly the other parent? He couldn’t possibly be telling the truth about him. Guildmage didn’t even act like they were that acquainted. And that wasn’t El’s jealousy talking there--they really didn’t. But here he was, throwing all his assumptions down the incinerator chute. Now Lucky was a time traveller. Not a fanboy capitalizing on Guildmage’s fame. And Bolas was his enemy. El’s employer. Who would take his life. And El was nowhere in his recollections to be seen. “...wouldn’t do that.” I wouldn’t leave Ral behind. I wouldn’t let him get captured like...that. And he for sure would’ve done everything he could to save him if he did, at any cost. But he’s saying I left his kid to do the heavy lifting?! There was no way. It wasn’t possible. There had to be a mistake. “But I wouldn’t do that!” He held his own head as a wave of dysphoric anxiety fluttered over his mind. He looked at Lucky, watching, listening. He’s kidding. He’s kidding, right? Any moment he’d have a heelflip turn like the other Izzets and pull the “Gotcha!” moment on him. And then he’d laugh and El would just sit there, dazed and confused as he once again missed the joke, just like he had with the reveal of Guildmage’s previous identity. But as the seconds passed and the silence waxed, Lucky showed no sign of amusement. A prickling coldness passed up his neck. “Lucky?” He sat up, padded on his hands and knees closer to him, as if to see him better. Like he might not be real at all. El stared at the ground, then at Lucky. Then, back and forth again, voice airless. “What…? Why...w-how?...” Why did Bolas attack us?! Why wasn’t I there to protect him?! What happens to Ravnica--the Izzets--everyone?! And Dad and Father--they didn’t even help?! What about Ugin?! Ugin could have stopped this! My dad! Your--! He shook his head. Blinked his eyes. Rattled his brain. Being senseless wouldn’t help anything at all. He had to focus. “Lucky…” He started, afraid of what the rest of his words would garner him, “When are you supposed to be from? When does this all happen?” El swallowed the bolus of saliva pooling at the back of his throat. “Be honest with me here. If this is just a joke and I’m not getting it, tell me. I don’t care if I look like an idiot. Just--” But the rest wouldn’t come out. He’d ingested the last of the moisture on his tongue. Tell me this is real. Tell me you’re not just poking at me for laughs. And please, please… Please tell me we have time. Lucky was momentarily surprised by El’s outburst and slowly, as if defending himself reached up to the goggles on his forehead and pulled them down over his eyes. He looked away at the rolling landscape of Tazeem, wracking his brain for a date he never once saw. “There wasn’t a lot of time keeping, I’m not sure what year that happens… I just know it does.” He stayed quiet, trying to collect his thoughts. “I didn’t realize that it would upset you so much. I just wanted you to be prepared; maybe this time we can change it.” El drew back from Lucky, recognizing his outburst had startled him into withdrawal. Lucky hadn’t worn his goggles down for some time; now, his eyes were shielded, his emotions blockaded behind dark glass. He could’ve brushed his mind for a better sense of what he was feeling, but he’d already given him so much. Did he really want to take more from him than what he was willing to offer? But that didn’t prevent El from feeling his very own distinct, troubling emotions, most of which leeched out of his mouth and his movements with no cadence or measure. He sat up on his knees and stared at his hands, just too unsure where else he was supposed to put them. To his relief, they were intact, for now. His panic hadn’t reduced him down as easily this time as it had in the past, but he was in no way stronger now than he had been in the past. I feel like I’m dying, the thought issued out from him without the reason to tuck it inside his skull. My heart’s wracking my ribs. I can’t do anything. This is happening. I can’t--I didn’t--? His eyes shot up from his hands and he found the shapes of Lucky’s again. I have to make sure. A tendril--invisible, but very real all the same--reached forth to Lucky’s mind, something he would typically refrain from, were he not scared for his and everyone’s life right now. El’s very consciousness came along with it, stepping inward with a wisp of white-blue to Lucky’s thoughts with just the barest of effort stopping him. His self touched down amidst a familiar sight, with a particular metallic tmp of his boot on bolted floors. He looked up. And he gasped. Standing in the middle of what he could only describe as a decommissioned--no, decimated Izzet workshop was the shape of the man he was speaking to, his form lit overhead not by neon, not by electric, and not by steam-powered fixtures glowing with mana, but the cloudy gray skies of Ravnica. But it was not clouds that blocked the fleeting sun at all--when he squinted, he saw the way they rolled and churned. Clouds not of precipitation, but of smoke and ashes, the aftermath of a great and finalizing brutalism. The ambitions of an entire plane--erased. Unmade. Recreated. And all around him, a buzz like aether hummed, a rumble of receding thunder far in the distance--a lifetime away. A guilt so heavy it brought him to his knees. Like a specter, the image flashed over the man in the blink-pattern of a shorted circuit: a huge, bronze, opulent evil, with smirk like a goblin lording over his most brilliant contraption, his most cunning design. And a young warrior facing him--' --a flash of familiarity-- --the sight of a mizzium-bleached man in the background, a light vapo-- --twisting time itself----- El retreated, satisfied. Horrified. He shook abruptly as though plagued by a nightmare. When the vast greens around him resituated back into defined vines and branches, it was all he could do not to weep. You...it’s real. He looked at Lucky as though he had experienced a great epiphany. It’s all going to happen. The immensity of it all. The event, the emotion, now… “Lucky…” El walked his way back to him on his knees with a much deeper sense of understanding than before. And when he’d gotten close enough, he wiped his face with his arms, one after the other just barely stifling a sniffle-- --and promptly threw those arms about Lucky’s neck and squeezed. “Gods,” he choked out, cursing fate and the way it dealt its hand to him, “I didn’t know. All this time, and I didn’t know anything.” Forget the way El felt--this whole time, Lucky hadn’t said a word about the thing that had followed him like a shadow since they’d met. And El, being himself, hadn’t even risked a moment to ask. He should have known his familiarity with the sprawling districts upfront was unreasonably accurate. He should have know his comfort far outstretching El’s had to stem from more than just a generalized enjoyment of the plane. It was his home, and a depiction of the admittedly always-tumultuous cityscape in its prime. Before Bolas...before Guildmage was-- He held Lucky even tighter, like the pressure would somehow keep his superior and friend safe just with contact. “I’m sorry, Lucky. I’m...snf...I’m so sorry.” The grief and pressure washed over him in waves, pinching his face until tears poured from the sparingly loose gaps in his eyelids. “I...I don’t know what to do!” He pushed his palm into his eye, knowing full and well how embarrassing this probably was for the both of them, and desperately trying to get it to stop to no avail. He couldn’t help it--just the barest wandering of thought to what he’d felt from Lucky and heard was enough to pull a fresh stream of terrified tears from him. It was too much. Too overwhelming. Unreal. All El had wanted was a place in the world, and he thought he had it working with Ral with this Nicol Bolas character. Such great plans to overthrow the Guildhall...the expansion of control...a chance to learn more about himself and his power… But that was all just a ruse, wasn’t it? Just a bunch of grandiose speculation to lure in the desperate and greedy. He’d be made a pawn of, just like how Ral was. Except maybe my death won’t be so gracious. Or, worse: maybe I might even flee. Like some coward in the face of something bigger than me. But he didn’t see how that could be. He’d gazed upon that ugly, jagged mug, and it was no different than with Niv: one big winged mound of overconfidence. El had never been afraid of them. Even now, it wasn’t they that scared him. El leaned back and wiped at his face again, trying to regain his composure enough that he could at least talk. “I don’t know what to do…” he started off shakily, “I don’t want to see anything happen to you or anyone.” But he added on with a bit more confidence in his bloodshot eyes, “...but I want to help. Somehow. Anything. If I can.” Lucky took a few moments to think, his gauntlets hand resting on the arm that wrapped around his neck. He had to be careful with what he said, and it better be good, just like when he inspired the Guildless before their final battle. “El, we take it one day at a time. We don’t know when he’ll attack, but when he does, we’ll be ready.” he smiled confidently, a smirk raising the corner of his lips before he put his hand on his shoulder. “We can do this, El. Us and everyone we’ve met on Ravnica. We can do it--we can protect our home.” Another wave of feeling crashed against his fragile self-control, and his poor lips and mouth drew up in response, a pure expression of sadness and distress. More tears were to follow, but his expression did not stay long; after a few hiccups and supported by Lucky’s strong--and certainly real and alive--hands, he managed to gather himself enough to struggle up a tiny smile. “I……...I know. I know we can...Lucky.” His hand had found a place on Lucky’s knee unbeknownst to them both. It brought him just the tiniest spark of hope that, if someone like Lucky could come from such a terrible thing and still be hopeful, there might actually be a chance things would be okay. He had trouble imagining just how they would do it, but he didn’t let his thoughts dwell in uncertainty. Even Leg Horse seemed to concur, leaning down as much as they could for El to touch their frontal face. [Unit initializing…] Drobot came over to the two, previously and conspicuously absent up until just now. “Dro? Where’ve you been at the whole time?” [I analyzed the situation and deemed myself unnecessary for further input. However, I have recorded the information in sound and log format for future perusal.] “Uhm…” El didn’t know how to respond to that. “Thanks, Drobot. I appreciate it.” Drobot maintained an aloof demeanor as he sat a few feet from them, presumably scanning the treeline for any threats. He shrugged and let him do his thing, but in the meanwhile, a tiny idea popped into his mind. It was a stretch, but maybe someone could give them a start to their ambitions. He touched his chin with a finger and motioned out. “Ugin.” Ugin knew everything. He’d been the one who devised the hedrons. He’d been the one to study the Eldrazi. El had barely picked the surface of his brain, but he knew his knowledge was old, ancient. From before society itself. Surely he knew something about Bolas they could use against him in the future. And even if he didn’t have any deep dirt on the dragon, maybe something in his endless archive could hurt him. “I have a friend. He’s here on this plane. We could ask him.” He summoned his hedron and opened it up, and with the will of his mind alone, an array of smaller, much more proficiently designed hedrons spawned out. They were much different than his light green construct, which was positively crude by comparison. These were made of a dark metal and run with an aether-like glow, tracing patterns on its faces like tiny mazes, or a language long forgotten by time. El had theorized they were the craftsmanship of a master lithomancer, gauging by their nigh-unbreakability, and to his delight, Ugin was the one who’d confirmed it: a female Kor, though El had been remiss in asking her name in lieu of having him infodump the process onto him. His technique was still...novicial, but impressive even by Ugin’s admission for someone who barely grasped the skill. He moved his hand in a complex series of angles and swoops, guiding the hedrons into place and pausing before he whispered the command to open a way through. “It’s your choice. But I’ll warn you: he might make you on edge when you first see him, but he’s a good person. I promise.” Lucky’s head tilted in classic Izzet intrigue, “Put me on edge when I see him?” Edge. He thought, his mind turning once again to the unnerving, unnatural disposition of Leg Horse. I think I’ve seen everything that’ll put me on edge for awhile. He stood up, watching El form the gate of the type he’d been rumored to be so clever at crafting. “Let’s talk to your friend. I trust you.” “Don’t worry. You’ll see.” He smiled back at Lucky, a blossom of affection and appreciation blooming forth with his admission. It...felt nice to hear that, especially from him. “Thank you. It means a lot to me.” Drobot and Leg Horse gathered in at his bid before he canted th-- “--uwuh?!?--” Share this post Link to post
Posted April 30, 2019 (edited) Grey. Grey? Grey. He hadn’t fallen. He hadn’t walked. He certainly hadn’t planeswalked, or his body would’ve been turned into a skin-twist with blood glaze for flavor. He looked around. There was Lucky. And Drobot. And Leg Horse, though their hooves were a-scatter and their minds read with fear. But the most prevalent companion was the suffocating span of grey. No greenery. No flowers. Not even hills or sunshine or the buzz of insects or the smell of silt. Just an expanse. Platforms. Smooth and perfect. Like Kor artistry. A gentle, dim ambience. He turned to Lucky, breathless. “Lucky? What’s happening?” Bang! Lucky’s legs gave out beneath him almost as fast as someone sweeping them from underneath him. He looked up at the vast, surreal expanse. I made fun of Leg Horse one too many times and he planeswalked us. I sure did it this time. “Drobot, status report?” Drobot’s claws clicked on the hard, strange surface. He passed his matter identification beam over the ground, into the air, before concluding his results and turning to Lucky. [Lucky, initial observations have concluded that the material composing this plane is of unknown composition. Furthermore, preliminary scans detect little presence of ambient mana in the area. Proceed with caution. Coordinates cannot be retrieved at this time.] Lucky hung his head, thinking deeply. “No mana? So it’s like Earth.” With a touch of flair as if learning this hadn’t bothered him at all, he pointed over to his greataxe, Hector, who had clattered off to a side upon his collapse, and flung some stored magnesis over to it, causing it to upright, handle pointing towards the sky. Hand over hand, he pulled his body over to it before wrapping his hands around the handle and lifting himself with his arm strength to where he’d approximately be eye level with someone if he were to be standing. He gazed around the surroundings, taking in as much information as he could before eyeballing the platforms with sparked curiosity. “El? How do you think we’ll get up there?” El shifted in place as he pondered their choices. “Well, the easiest path is to utilize Drobot’s weird shell to take us all up. He should have enough to handle some stops and flight so long as we don’t overdue it.” [Affirmative. Mana stores replenished at 1821 Zendikar planetime.] El nodded in confirmation. “And with you like you are, I’m gonna affix some Thunder stones in you greaves, okay?” He called his main hedron, finding his gate array fallen to the ground, gathered and placed them back in it and withdrew a couple of palm-sized polished yellow stones. They gave off a very faint buzz and a golden glow, but were otherwise unnoteable. He knelt to Lucky’s legs and spotted what he already knew to be there: a couple of orifices where the stones fit with perfect snugness. He was ever more grateful for his invisibility: he’d taken the measurements while Lucky slept just in case this happened. Even if he fought him on it, El thought forward anyway. It only took a short pop to install the stones. Though unfamiliar, but similar enough to mana, the greaves sparked to life, coursing with renewed power. “There we are~” He said with a lilt. “Perfect, huh?” He bathed in his genius for only a modest second before his attention was caught by Leg Horse behind him. That...that would be a problem. “Lucky, do you think he can lift Leg Horse? I’m a little concerned.” “Drobot, do you think you can handle it?” Lucky didn’t much like the idea of using one of El’s Thunder stones in a time where it didn’t seem that pressing of matters--but considering it from El’s perspective… Once he thought about it, El never really got tossed around the Multiverse like he did. [My extended structure is built to withstand considerable weight. However, subject {Leg Horse} will require extensive depletion of mana stores. Command execution is permissible, but please consider other means of transport of subject in the future.] “Be careful, ok?” Lucky responded. “I think we should worry about getting Leg Horse up there first, we’re lighter so we definitely need less energy. It’d be horrible if we’d made it up successfully and then Drobot ran out of energy while carrying Leg Horse.” [Affirmative. But two trips will expend my reserves faster. I am able to complete the trip.] “If you believe you can, I trust your judgment.” For a moment, Lucky almost forgot El had even put Thunder stones in his greaves, and held his hand out to magnesis his way over to Drobot, and was momentarily caught off guard when his leg caught his shift in balance. I suppose I could just walk over there now. He approached Drobot as the shell of the Fluxcharger weird emerged from the various augments the Drobot sported, some of his own design, some of Lucky’s. The transformation felt like it took seconds to do, but he always fell enthralled with shifting machinery and the like. Once he was sure Drobot was finished stabilizing the weird, he climbed up into the harness on its back and held out his hand to El. “Here, I’ll help you up.” His eyes lit up seeing Drobot’s transformation. The little terrestrial drake was melded into the skeleton of a much larger, extremely imposing, saw-breathing dragon, complete with powerful wings and and an intimidating wedge of a head. He was so taken with Lucky’s handiwork that his didn’t initially notice his hand extended down to him until it flicked into his peripherals. “Oh!” He looked at his hand with a sudden resistance in his own, a light warmth dusting over his cheeks. “Thank you…” Without letting it hold him back, he took Lucky’s hand in his own--his warm, kind, worn hand. Now he knew the history behind that hand, how it’d gotten its blemishes and scars. You’ve worked so hard already, he mused quietly to himself. Lemme try to take the burden some from here. With that, he pulled himself up with remarkable, unlike-himself grace and took a seat behind Lucky. He sent a soothing reminder to Leg Horse that there was nothing to fear as Drobot closed his shell around them; they shifted and clopped around nervously, but remained mostly calm and stepped their legs onto the platform the weird shell made for them before shutting them off from the world. Knowing Leg Horse had grown too accustomed to company to be alone, he kept their minds linked and rested his head on Lucky’s back as Drobot took flight, shutting off further input as they rose into the shaded sky. The only thing that kept him grounded was his arms around Lucky’s waist, the texture of his clothes, his smell, entrusting the reigns entirely to him as he was to trust his life with Ugin. Edited April 30, 2019 by Sugar-Free Share this post Link to post
Posted April 30, 2019 With a higher vantage point, Lucky could see everything on the platform above them--people? Other people inhabited this stark hellscape? Despite his desire to do something flashy and impressionable, Drobot's energy could deplete at any moment. He instructed Drobot to touch down nearby, enough to dismount and be close to the group of people. As Drobot descended, Lucky turned over his shoulder. "Watch this, El." And with all the flair and flamboyance of a proud Izzet League member, he dropped down off the side of Drobot, and landed on the platform before the people before him--with Drobot landing nearby him. with the others in tow. He reached up and held out his arm to El, where they connected arms, and he pulled him down to him. Share this post Link to post
Posted June 29, 2019 [ Ready Player -- Charles Cornick ; Cody "CD" Davis ] { Support -- Hornet ; Anne ; ??? Status ; Health -- 100% ; | Status ; Health -- 100% ;t Brother Wolf ; Alert ; | Migraine Risk ; Moderate ; Shape ; Human } | Stress ; 73% }transparentx Howl ; Born Moon Called | Adapt ; Human Versatility "Fine. I'll leave you behind to figure your own way around next time." Charles was going to let that one slide. Maybe his Anna would have caught something that he missed. Since the strange woman could clearly jump a wide gap, he no longer felt obligated to assist her. Cody, on the other hand, was completely human and his physical limitations were likely to create further issues. The human will see the necessity, Brother Wolf assured. Leaping for the third time, Charles almost ignored the woman's comment about his attitude. Almost. Her name was too close to his mate's, yet she was nothing like his wife. It would have been enough to completely disregard her. However, he couldn't allow her words to stand. His dark eyes found her gaze, teeth baring. "Is that a threat? I'd like to see your friend try." His eyes lightened to wolf-amber as he let Brother Wolf come forward, revealing a fraction of the monster that he was. "Don't touch me. You're not human; don't touch me." Cody squirmed under Anne's hold, shoving her arm away. Stumbling, he nearly fell over his feet in the hurry to put distance between them. He clutched his arms around his stomach, grimacing. "You melted into a puddle of water! Charles--" Cody glanced over at the other man. Why couldn't all of this just be a dream? "He's human! Some kind of athlete. And, you know, he did kind of ask?" It was indirect, what with asking if Cody and Anne could make such a jump. And no, he wasn't just coming up with excuses. At least, that's what Cody told himself. "I only freaked because I didn't know Charles could jump that gap!" Absolutely not because of the sensory overload this was all starting to become and being surrounded by physics-defying reality. The thrashing drew Charles' gaze away, disrupting a display just before it began. Brother Wolf wasn't happy; he wanted to put Anne in her place. Charles was conflicted. Cody's distraction allowed for a neutral shift, a draw of sorts, and avoided further trouble. But Charles was just as ready to put Anne in check as Brother Wolf was. His Anna wouldn't have had this issue. He came to the only justification that settled them both: humans in need of protection was more important than disputing with disrespectful strangers. And not terrifying the human would make things easier. Brother Wolf reluctantly accepted Charles' reasoning, but only after Charles conceded the future potential necessity of properly correcting Anne. "If you're all quite d--" Charles' attention jerked to the edge of the platform. He heard something that wasn't easy to identify. Taking a step towards the end of the platform, Charles wasn't made to wait long before the source came into view and continued up past him. Craning his head back, he followed it with his gaze. "Holy--What is that?" He could feel Brother Wolf begin to pace at the abrupt appearance. As the--machine?--came closer to land, one of the figures dropped down as if performing on a stage. Charles examined the new arrivals, hackles rising when he realized what he was seeing. A tangle of too many equine limbs sharing a single body and bearing no head. A distortion of the earth's own blessings, raged Brother Wolf. Immediately, Charles opened his senses, reaching out with his mother's gift towards the miserable beast and steeling himself to hit--Charles nearly faltered. Peace and bliss were not what he expected. Dark eyes searched the two humans--who didn't smell quite right; were they human? "Let me guess: you don't know where you're at either." Share this post Link to post
Posted August 27, 2019 (edited) (I'm tired of waiting, so here's a short post) Anne raised her eyebrows in mock surprise as Charles lashed at her. She wondered briefly if had any friends; with his attitude. As she was thinking this Cody forced his way out from under her arm. “You’re not human!” Cody cried. “You melted into a puddle!” He continued. I did do that, is it really that surprising? Where’s he from? “He’s human!”. Is he though? Anne paused at that. Something about Charles most definitely wasn’t human. Her observation haki wasn’t as refined as she’d like, but she could perceive some other energy inside of Charles. It had grown briefly stronger when he was talking back to her. “I’m as human as the day my mother gave birth to me. Have you never heard of a devil fruit? I ate one when I was little and now, I’m a Water Human… I guess it is a little unusual. But relax man, I’m human.” Anne tried to reassure Cody. He was seeming very overwhelmed right now. Charles decided to start talking again, but he was interrupted by the arrival of more newcomers. The new visitors had Blue and Brown hair respectively. What was easily more eye-catching were the creatures that were with them. One looked like a metal dragon, and the other looked like a clam with a bunch of legs. “Wow! Is that a dragon? So cool!” Anne exclaimed in wonder. She then turned and pointed over her shoulder while talking to Cody. “If I’m not human what would that be?” She asked, jokingly. She then turned back to the new guests. “Careful guys, this one,” she indicated Charles, “Bites, probably. I’m Anne, nice to meet you. I can turn into water, that seems to be surprising so it’s best to get it out now instead of shocking you later,” Anne finished, demonstrating her abilities by turning her right arm into water, and extending the hand forward; offering a handshake. Edited August 27, 2019 by Marcus Pheonix Share this post Link to post
Posted October 5, 2019 (edited) Elzaphan HP:100/100 MP: Null Elluck: 50/50 (full) No sooner than they arrived, Lucky quickly dismounted with his personal Izzet-y flourish before Drobot had even had time to find a place to land. Drobot's landing wasn't especially graceful. His weird shell impacted with the ground and his extremities heaved, like a spring being depressed, but the effect spared his riders any pain aside from a light jostle or so. El wasn't as used to it as he was riding Leghorse--this was much more Lucky's forte than his, but that was to be expected. The weird shell had been his primary method of transport before he'd fashioned it onto Drobot. It was even more unwieldy to dismount the shell than it was to climb it or ride, and he found himself glancing and shifting to and fro, testing footholds for some way to efficiently get down without breaking something or making a display of himself. Man, if only this thing wasn't shaped so...weird. I guess maneuverability wasn't a part of the blueprint when they manufactured this thing. And that brought El's mind down the path to wondering who even made the weird shell, why for, and so many other questions of no import or effect on the current situation, and the only thing that really shook him from riding the mind train to social ambivalence was Lucky, reaching up to offer him a hand down. "Oh." He grasped his elbow for better leverage, securing his grip before moving to step down to his side. This, however, was unnecessary, as Lucky smoothly pulled him down to earth and secured him at his side. It was bizarre to him, the feeling--his arm around his waist and holding him safely against him...it occurred to him that maybe it was embarrassing, but that it was also strangely comforting. Comforting...but also sudden. Too sudden to totally register amongst the bombardment of mana configurations of weirding to parse. On top of that...there were people. People? People. And one very concentrated mass of elemental energy just ripe for the harvesting. Elzaphan looked them over, and boy, were they a gaggle unlike he'd really seen up till now. Okay, minus viashino and leonin folks, but whatever. And fairies. And all the goblins hanging out in the boilerworks-- His mind violently snapped to attention as that wad of mana came wavering toward him, and at first, he didn't see it as anything more than a watery appendage that looked astoundingly human in its phalanges. That's some nice retention--maybe it's an elemental--probably--maybe a mage--but mages don't always personify--well, I guess neither do spirits either...It took a moment for his ears and eyes to wake up to his surroundings from his initial shock to see from where the hand had come: a woman, taller than himself but way shorter than Lucky, dressed in a sunhat and looking all the like a gondolier somewhere between the middle and under city--just much cleaner. Tracing the mana signatures tickling at his nose back to her, he found his mound of blue mana in human shape--Or is it more a spiritual signature? Hmm...either way, I can probably use it if I just get a bit for synthesis. "Shock" was the last thing to occur to El as he reached up to the hand, taking its fingers and curling them over his, noting the freeflowing current with neither a source nor a predictable end. "Lucky, look at this. This person's a living mana rock!" It was steathy enough, but he managed to siphon off just a hint of the power in the lady's appendage, refreshing his senses and annulling the dull emptiness the lack of another mana source left in the threads of his mind. It wouldn't last, but the momentary hit was enough to deduce the nature of her aquamancy. "No--better than a mana rock! She's a conduit for both spiritual energy and mana radiation alike, so theoretically, we actually do have a way of keeping you mobile!" He looked to Lucky excitedly, not noticing Drobot not just standing in his way, but actively pushing him backward, then to the woman--Anne?--again. "Of course, if you'll just give us a sample manifestation so I can play around with the structures and see if I can get it to synthesize--" His engrossment with Anne's limb blinded him entirely to the others. Edited October 5, 2019 by Sugar-Free Share this post Link to post
Posted October 28, 2019 Lucky Zarek Health: 100/100 MP: Null/Supplied Hector: 50/50 Spirit Gems: 4--Max Charge Full of a feeling of residual embarrassment, Lucky reached out and yanked El's arm down, feeling pulses of secondhand awkwardness from his partner's disregard for sentient beings. "El, you can't just walk up to an extraplanar being and inquire them about siphoning their mana! You'll get yourself in danger being so forward all the time." Lucky's thoughts turned to the late thunder-filled nights while his father worked himself overtime on Lucky's greaves. Eventually, he would turn around and wipe at his forehead before leaning down to where Lucky had wheeled himself into his laboratory. "Can't sleep?" "No. Can you tell me another story?" He would reach out and pull Lucky's chair closer to his side and gently rub his back in thought. "Have you heard a story about Mirrodin?" But it wasn't always Mirrodin. Most times it was Ravnica. Sometimes, he'd get a story from a plane he'd never thought existed. Kaladesh...Kamigawa...Innistrad, Vryn... From a young age, Lucky knew about the other planes, which meant he knew about the dangers, too. However, what El was saying wasn't entirely wrong; historically speaking, elves from any plane could channel mana from each other. Looking over the aquamancer, he could tell in a heartbeat she wasn't an elf. Besides, even if she were, he doubted it'd help--elves tended to avoid humans. IT was evident on Ravnica, and from those very same stories involving the Gatewatch-- Gatewatch-- Wasn't there a pyromancer who gave off red mana in events of high emotion? He remembered his dad telling him how the pyromancer's hair would turn ablaze in tongues of flame, similar to the limbs of the aquamancer standing before them. While admittedly that was powerful magic, he doubted her mana could equal that of some legendary planeswalker from his father's compendium of bedtime stories. "Besides," he added, "you'd have to be mythically strong to get mana off some elementally charged mage. Even in stories, only one or two mages, and they were planeswalkers, were able to do such a feat. It's not a bad idea, though...just needs some fine-tuning." Share this post Link to post
Posted November 29, 2019 [ Ready Player -- Charles Cornick ; Cody "CD" Davis ] { Support -- Hornet ; Anne ; Lucky ; Elzaphan ; ??? Status ; Health -- 100% ; | Status ; Health -- 100% ;t Brother Wolf ; Alert ; | Migraine Risk ; Moderate ; Shape ; Human } | Stress ; 75% }transparentx Howl ; Born Moon Called | Adapt ; Human Versatility Charles watched the exchange, studying each of the newcomers and trying to assess threat levels. Neither of them directly introduced each other but had done the indirect scheme of calling each other by name when speaking. The metal dragon might be something to be concerned with, but it also seemed docile enough. We are idling too long. We must return home. He agreed with Brother Wolf. The city ahead was both an obvious place to start and a suspicious thing to encounter. Setting aside that the entire situation was strange. Fae, werewolves, vampires.... those were familiar to him, situations he could tackle without too much trouble (even though Fae were unpredictable on the best days). "We need to move," he said, cutting through Lucky and El's enthusiasm about some 'mana' of sorts. "Dragon." The giant metal thing was a dragon. Cody didn't understand Anne's point. She wasn't human, and the thing she was pointing at was a dragon. She did the water thing again, still proving to him that she wasn't a good ol' homo sapien from Earth. 'Devil fruit' could be anything--probably even some demonic or alien... thing. He almost started laughing and turned to Charles. "Move?" Cody guessed it was one option. "We don't have anywhere to move to, though." Well, that was a lie--there was the city. If it could actually be reached, of course. "What if we just, I don't know, wait here? Maybe we'll get back home in the same way we ended up here?" Something made a clunking sound and the patchwork of tiles that made the ground began to move again. Some dropped from sight entirely. "Looks like we don't have much of a choice here." Charles glanced down at the tile they stood upon. The edges began to disintegrate, reducing the amount of space they all had. "Oh s***. Oh f***!" Cody staggered away from one of the edges, watching as bits and pieces crumbled away into nothing. Looking to his right, he studied the empty landscape that lead towards the unknown city. It seemed solid enough, undisturbed by what was happening. Panic made his heart race and sweat coated his back. His feet were in motion before he thought too long on what he was about to do. "Cody? Cody wait--" Charles sprinted after the human. The platform cracked under Cody's feet, dipping down and causing him to stumble. He won't make it, Brother Wolf growled. There were too many people, too many factors, to account for in such short notice. Charles pushed half of them to the back of his mind; perhaps Anne would be helpful. Orienting his attention to one intention, he reached out for Cody. Fingers snatched at fabric and Charles threw the man across to the other side of the abyss that separated all of them from steady ground. Cody shouted and hit flat land with a few bounces. The yellow-haired woman was closest, so Charles grabbed her next. He barely shifted one step before the edges broke apart, forcing him into a premature leap. Tumbling, he grunted and grabbed the opposite ledge with his free hand before they could fall completely. Charles hoisted the woman up as Cody came close and grabbed at his arm. "Hold on, I--" It almost felt like something else was pulling him, seemingly coming from the yellow-haired woman as she made it onto the stretch of land. It wasn't Cody, though. And, quick as the sensation came, it was gone once Charles's body was mostly away from endless darkness. The relief didn't last. The end of the intact land started to fall apart, heartbeats after. "Run. Keep running," Charles urged, tugging at Cody's elbow and pulling the woman to her feet. "Running! Definitely running!" Cody rushed away from the deteriorating ledge, hurrying towards the city. # Enterprise ; City The streets were barren, the buildings dark within. No street signs decorated the sidewalks and no stoplights graced the intersections. Only unlit lamp posts lined the myriad of paths. As the cityscape coiled in upon the center of the city, the buildings became taller, until only the very tallest pierced the sky at the epicenter where fog obscured the endpoint from sight. In one street, Enterprise lay upon the ground, unconscious. The sound of gears--of mechanisms--whirred, shifted, and clicked beneath the city for several moments before they clanged with a resonating echo that bled into heavy silence. Share this post Link to post
Posted November 29, 2019 (edited) [Ready Player: [USS CV-8] Hornet] [HP: 100% | Status: OK | Rigging: Active/0 planes] [~ 1: Collapse] Two men appeared, and with that the platform was alive with chatter. ...but the platform was too precarious, wasn't it? Charles seemed to think that, too, as he cut off the conversation. Cody began to retort, but he was cut off by... oh ****. The platform! It was falling apart! Hornet looked around, but there was nowhere to go, except across the gap. And just because she was an aircraft carrier didn't mean she could fly. She heard the sound of something landing in the distance, and spotted Cody landing, before -- A powerful arm grabbed her, just as she felt something touch her hip and shove away, and then she was hurtling through the air in Charles's grip -- -- and they landed. An intact platform - but it too began to fall away and disintegrate. A call to run, and she was pulled to her feet, stumbling for her first step before she started running. Creator, she hated being up in the air like this with the abyss below her. A cold sweat covered her body - if she stopped - she'd fall -- and with that thought, she ran for dear life. For her second life. ---- [Ready Player: [USS CV-6] Enterprise] [HP: 100% | Status: OK | Rigging: Active/0 planes] [~ 1: The Clash of Gears] A great clang echoed all around, its vibration strong. Enterprise woke with a start, cold asphalt pressing into her legs and arms. ...asphalt? A city around her? It was empty and bleak, but it was a city. She shouldn't be in a city. She was just on an ocean. ... she'd been giving a commission, right? Alerting... her. That girl. She looked so much like - Enterprise, no. I can't.... ... Focus. These aren't familiar surroundings. One lapse could be all it takes to get attacked. The aircraft carrier glanced around furtively, noting her rigging was still active. So. She'd somehow fallen unconscious, but there hadn't been anything nearby. And now she was here. What did the Sirens even want with this? They would've killed her already. It's then that she notices a green bar in the edge of her vision. This just got more and more disturbing.... An unknown force had taken her here, and messed with her vision somehow. But wherever "here" was, she'd best not stay lying like this. The city was a maze, but her prone position was practically an invitation to get attacked, and thus she heaved herself off the ground. She slipped over to the side of a building, and looked around to ascertain what she could see. Silence. Darkness. No signs of life. But her hackles still stood on end. Something was wrong here. She couldn't stay. And hugging close to the towering buildings in their rigid lines, she set off. Edited January 4, 2020 by DuskOfTheStars Share this post Link to post
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